Last min change in Redundancy Terms

DuWolf

We are currently going to be made redundant this Sept/Oct/Nov , 4 months ago we were given a consultation meeting were we had individual printed sheets explaining what we would be receiving come xmas when the company closes.
Being a long term member there I had no worries, but other staff which had recently started work there (around 6 months) were told that as an incentive for them to stay they would be receiving around £6000 and were also given individual printed sheets explaining the amount and the relative breakdown of how it is worked out etc.
We are currently going through the second phase of 1 to 1 consultation meetings, during these individual meetings the staff that were told they are going to recieve these amounts have been handed a printed sheet of paper saying that if there have not completed a full 12 months by the time of the closure they instead will be recieving 2 weeks pay instead of what was stated previously.
When newer staff are set on it is usually in waves, the current people who it effects were set on late Sept>Nov. The sceptical amongst us see something fishy here as do I.

My question would be that can they alter the terms of the redundancy packages to exclude the newer staff hired even tho they were given indivdual printed redundancy forms without any mention of minimum term served?

It does seem they offered it as an incentive to keep them here but as the time is drawing closer they have decided to finish them just before they complete a full 12months which they now added must be completed to be eligble.

Cheers in advance for any help

SarEl

I don'tthink anyne can give a real opinion without seeing all the paperwork. Legally below two years they have no rights to redundancy at all. So a "piece of paper" doesn't necessarily give them any rights. It all depnds on what the paper says - exactly.

DuWolf

Yeah sorry for not being clearer on the paperwork.

It was entitles 'Redundancy Payment Quotation Sheet'

and had the following

Name
Employee Number
Unit
Start Date
Redundancy Payment - Weeks/AmountPer /Total
Pay In Lieu Of Notice - No Weeks/Amount Per/Total

'The quotation is based on a proposed leaving date of Nov 2010.'

SarEl

It is difficult to be certain, but I do not think that this paperwork constitutes a formal offer to the individuals concerned, and even if it did, it would be difficult to enforce it. The only "right" to redundancy are those enshrined in law or contract. Other than that the employer may do as they wish, so if they change their minds about the terms they are offering, or make a mistake in the terms laid out, then there isn't very much that can be done.