Help Please! Depression Work Related Stress, off since mid 06, now work offer DEAL!??

clairehi

Do go to CAB with this problem. They deal with a lot of employment problems like this and can give you free advice on how to negotiate a fair deal with the employer and whether you should consider going to a tribunal.

AFAIK the maximum a tribunal can award you is about £40K anyway and there is a lot of stress involved in pursuing this, with no guarantees of a favourable outcome.

For comparison, if you were being made redundant after 4 years, then 6 months salary plus 4 weeks notice and a good reference would be a reasonable deal I would say.

Take the opportunity to re-evaluate what you want to do career-wise, this is a chance for a fresh start. It may not seem like it now, but you will have learnt a lot from this experience which will stand you in good stead in the future.

Savvy_Sue

I stress again that the company MUST offer to PAY FOR legal advice, and you will be asked to sign to say that you've had legal advice, so could I politely suggest leaving CAB to deal with the huge caseload they already have from people who can't afford to pay for help, and finding a solicitor who specialises in employment advice!

erewyn

I have booked an appt with a Employment Law solicitor, this should hopefully give me the legal advice I need. Apparently the deal is only open until Mon next week!

Not slept much over the weekend because of this, just hope its over quickly.. not sure if I could cope with a Tribunal.

Thank you for all the replies.

jobbingmusician

Another piece of advice.

As well as getting a good reference, and loads of pay, can you get them to say that your effective date of termination is 6 months in the future?

I suggest this because it is always easier to get a job whilst you have a job (although don't let this depress you - I'm sure the reaons for this is mostly psychological). It is just possible that some employers will prefer to shortlist people who are currently employed (or who seem to be )

erewyn

regarding a good reference, they say its just name, start date, end date.. generic for all employees, so I'll get one like that if one is requested from them .. we'll see what solicitor says..

termination date.. I think is going to be soon, end of month, not in 6 mths, they are paying 4 wks notice though.. again.. not sure but will ask solicitor...

thanks for all these good suggestions..

(could not sleep again.. hence ungodly hour)

jobbingmusician

That sort of reference is OK, most employers will accept it no questions asked. (You need to make sure - suggest to the solicitor if s/he doesn't to you - that the compromise agreement contains a bit about any phone or informal references being given in the same manner). Having thought about the longer employment date I think it wasn't such a good suggestion, as it might make you liable for more tax. You'll be fine with your reference, but do see if you can get the word 'redundancy' in your reference as then you will be eligible for benefits as well (probably contrib based JSA) - as it does sound as if your post is genuinely redundant.

erewyn

just an update, I saw the solicitor yesterday, and signed and sorted everything, just need to go and clear desk . Tribunal would have been under £8k in best case scenario, so I've decided to take the deal!

Nervous excited scared all at the same time!

thanks again for all the useful comments, helped make meeting with solicitor easier as I had questions to ask and understood more of the legal issues before going.

E