Shift closing, automatically redundant?

pompeyrich

The Company I work for has decided to move it's production to the Far East. To safeguard the transistion they are initially closing the night shift from the end of October. I work on the night shift and will find out tomorrow if my position is going.

During the initial consultations, there was a list of criteria for the selection of people to go, including, experience, attendance and conduct etc. Should this criteria be used to select who could transfer onto the other shifts or is it automatic that as my shift is closing, all the workers on that shift must go too?

I was told I would be ok until December 31st but this now seems unlikely, any comebacks there?

Thanks in advance, Rich

fluffy70

As your position is transferring to teh far East and you have not been offered the choice to go with it the company would effectivelty be making you redundant from your position and depending upon your length of service they are legally bound to offer you a suitable alternative position if one exists (based on skill level and job spec) before forcing you into redundancy.

You need to have worked continuously for at least 24 months for them, and statutory redundancy pay would be as follows:
Half a week pay for each year served over 22yrs old
one week pay for each full year of service between 22 and 40
one and a half week pay for each full year of service over 40

Statutory redundancy pay is subject to a maximum level (I think it's £380 a week) and can only be calculated against a maximum working life with the company of 20 years.

You don't say how long you have worked for them, but if they do make you redundant they should give you notice in line with your length of service -
one month - two years - one week's notice minimum
two years to 12 years - one week's notice for each year worked
more than 12 years - 12 weeks notice

Jarndyce

fluffy70 wrote: »

Statutory redundancy pay is subject to a maximum level (I think it's £380 a week)

Its £400.

But the Op's question was, effectively, whether or not employees on other shifts should be included in the selection pool. The answer is that it depends on how much interchangeability there is between each shift, whether people were recruite on to and worked exclusively on each shift and whether the jobs done on each shift differed at all and to what extent. You may well be able to argue that other shifts should be included in the selection process, but that will depend very much on the facts of the set up.

pompeyrich

Thanks Fluffy, been there 4.5 years and the package is above the statutory minimum, so that part of it is ok. They have given the opportunity to transfer to the Far East but no assistance, get your own visas, flights and accomadation etc. so really only paying lip-service to their obligations there.

Thanks Jarndyce, I was told that my role would be safe until Dec 31st, so haven't bothered looking for a new job yet. One of my colleagues secured another job and was told he would lose his redundancy package if he left early and that he shouldn't have started looking as his/my job was commited until Dec!! Now they are changing the date and just getting rid of the guys on the shift that is going.

The work is the same but there is little interchangability between shifts as a rule. The night shift might swap on to days for maintenance projects but only on a temp basis, 2 or 3 days at a time.

Got my meeting tonight so will see how things pan out, Thanks again, Rich.

Jarndyce

I think as a general rule if people are theoretically interchangeable between the shifts then they should include members of the other shifts in the pool.

It would be interesting to hear their response if you ask the question why that is not the case.

pompeyrich

Jarndyce wrote: »

I think as a general rule if people are theoretically interchangeable between the shifts then they should include members of the other shifts in the pool.

It would be interesting to hear their response if you ask the question why that is not the case.

Will report back after the meeting, seems they are breaking most of their original agreements, they have already transferred a temp, who has the same role as me, from nights to days, despite them saying temps would be the first to go. I applied for an internal position, no interviews, just criteria based selection, I came 4th out of 7 applicants but the 3 below me are all staying later.

The only concern is that they threaten to withdraw the "enhanced package", if anyone questions their decisions and although not life changing, it is a fair amount to risk.

At the end of the day it is only 2 months extra, so not ever so much in it but I just like things done fairly. Thanks for your input, Rich.

fluffy70

pompeyrich - can you pm me which company it is? Just out of interest union wise.....I think we're pretty local and the Unions may be interested in this

pompeyrich

Well had my 1-2-1 and have been told it's 31st October for me, well everyone on the shift. We discussed various discrepencies in their handling of the situation but the bottom line was if I don't sign the compromise agreement I will lose the enhanced package and for the possibility of 2 months extra work, that seemed too big a risk.

Thanks for all your help and comments, off to tweak my CV, cheers Rich