Voluntary Severance Scheme

AJB101

Hello
Would be grateful for any advice on this situation: working part-time for a University in an admin post and applied for voluntary severance in October, shortly after the scheme opened, partly because some of the financial support for my department was withdrawn and the writing is on the wall.

My proposed leaving date was January 1 2011 & I thought plenty time, but there's been no response. I have asked regularly for an update and been told that a decision hasn't been reached, even though I know only half the target applications have been received.

I'm anxious because I can't plan ahead; my colleagues are anxious because they are afraid of compulsory redundancies. Can I / should I push harder for an answer?

So much for the stated intent "to maintain the morale of staff throughout the process" - LOL!

Maybe not relevant, but is there any merit in a constructive dismissal claim?

LittleVoice

AJB101 wrote: »

Maybe not relevant, but is there any merit in a constructive dismissal claim?

No merit. In fact at the moment it is constructive retention.

LittleMrsThrifty

Constructive dismissal?!?!

My personal experience of University VSS is that people in administrative posts (particularly part time) are least likely to receive the pay off as there is typically a higher turnover of such staff and you could easily be transferred to another department.

Who proposed leaving on 1st Jan - you or them? They do sound very lax but Universities (I've worked for 5) often are and they may be hanging on in the hope they will receive applications from jobs they'd rather loose.

AJB101

The form issued has a field for preferred termination date; the VSS is open until the end of Feb 2011.
And, there are already a number of admin staff on the redeployment list for posts that come up, but temp and agency staff are still coming in!