Redundancy threat but also new job offer

Rochdale_Guy

Hi all,

Here is the situation I face:

I currently work for the local Council and have done since July 2002, so would have reached 10 years service next year.

I work full time and work 36 1/4 hours a week, and having passed 5 years long service get 28 days holiday alowance (excluding Bank Holidays).

I earn just over £16,000 a year.

Our team is one of many strongly rumoured to be axed in the terrible local council cuts announced and my current contract is until the 31st March 2012.

If they are going to release us via redundancy, then they have to give us the legally required 90 days notice, which is by 31st December then. Nice Christmas eh? The letter will probably reach me the first week in January, just in time for my Birthday, even better eh?

I believe they will give us 1 weeks pay for each year of service, so I am due (if we are made redundant), just 9 weeks pay

The big twist here is, I went for an interview for a part time job (on a month by month basis) for only 20 hours a week with a different company in the SAME building, and was offered it on Friday. but also

It was hoped this new job would go full time come 1st April 2012 subject to new funding, but my big dilemma which has caused endless friction between me and my other half and the work colleagues I have told is:

I can't live on 20 hours pay a week, so would like to drop down part time in my current job. This shouldnt be a problem as 2 other staff only do 3 days a week and even the manager has another 2 day a week job!

Anyway, if this new job WAS full time, it's less pay (£15,575) and only 23 days leave pro-rata.

So, even if I accept this new one, I would have to do more hours in BOTH jobs and still get LESS pay.

I can't afford to do this

I also need to find out about holiday entitlement, as said above, I currently get 28 days and this one (if full time) is only 23 days.

Say I did the new job in the morning and current one in the afternoon and wanted a day off, does that equate to a FULL day off from each employer? If so, I'll never get a summer holiday ever again

There are other complications to, such as I am allowed to leave early one day a week in my current job (personal reasons) and do 6 hours that day (8.30-2.30pm with NO 30 minute lunch break).

This new job would require me to use my car and I don't know if I'd get any travelling allowance (the internally advertised job description didn't say, and I forgot to ask in the interview due to nerves!).

It also states occasional weekend working and the odd night time (to minute meetings from 5-9pm). I really don't wanna do this

It's also worse I as know everyone else in the building and help out to cover reception the occcasional dinner time even though I don't work for them. My manager says its fine, and I don't mind helping out.

Soooooooooooooooooooo, do I accept, but its less pay and don't know how holiday leave would work out and have to lump an odd weekend or weekday evening to attend meetings (which I hate). Or do I kindly decline, alienate my colleagues and just wait until the ship sinks in my current job then take the pittance of redundancy and look for a new job come April 1st.

There is no guarantee this new job would continue past 1st April either if they don't get funding, but as my colleagues tell me (I'm sure they want rid of me!), this new job would look so impressive on my CV, even for 3 months (and less pay, less holiday, weekend and evening working)

The final complication is, the Chief Executive of this other company that interviewed me and offered me the job, was also manager of the department of the current team I am in, and interviewed me for that.

She believes in me and my ability, but if I say no due to the lower pay, and hours, it'd be like a personal kick in the teeth to her.

This is killing me, it really is

Any opinion please, I need to let her know on Monday. I haven't even had the offer in writing yet! They only told me as I work in the same building.....

:eek:

EDIT: and would I still get redundancy from my current job if I'd started work with a new company, or stayed in my current job part time until the last day of the contract???

silkyuk9

im not sure if you get the same as NHS staff, 1 months pay per year for the total years you have worked, minus the first 2 years so if you have worked with the council for 12 years you should get 10 months pay. it could well be 1.5 weeks per year tax free.

im not sure what advise to give you. if there is a strong possiblity that you will go then stick out for the redundancy pay, however if you cannot afford to do that and take the money you will obviously have to take the other job and lose the pay.

If this was me, in my situation, in my company, I would get 18 months pay and to be honest i would rather get this than take another job if offered. The 18 month pay for me would be around £24k this would pay all my debts and have a little left over until I got another job. To be honest there are jobs out there if you are prepared to do them. Even if its in a fast food take away.

Stick out for the severance.

Rochdale_Guy

Thanks silkyuk9,

I was beginning to feel ignored, but it IS a Saturday night I guess.

Done some Googling and found this:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/RedundancyAndLeavingYourJob/Redundancy/DG_174330

The calculation of 9.5 weeks of pay is based on:

0.5 weeks pay for each full year of service where your age was under 22

1 weeks pay for each full year of service where your age was 22 or above, but under 41

1.5 weeks pay for each full year of service where your age was 41 or above

I'll be 42 when the contract ends on March 31st so thats 9.5 full weeks pay IF I stay in my current job, other stuff I have read suggests it would be 9.5 half hours weeks if I went down to part time hours despite 9 years loyal service

mountainofdebt

So do I read you right by thinking that you want to have your cake and eat it by dropping your hours in your current job, take up this other job as a second job (for at least the time being being?) and then if your current job is axed, you still have a job and the 9.5 weeks redundancy?

Why exactly did you apply for this job?

If it was an alternative to unemployment then I can understand your problem but it sounds as if all the things that make up the job - the meetings, the weekend working, etc - are things that you're moaning about and don't want to do.

What would happen if your team wasn't cut - you're stuck in two jobs which you have to do because you tried to be clever and can't afford to give up the one you hate because you reduced your hours. Alternatively if you don't take the job you hate and are cut you don't have a job.

eeyore_2

Oh dear, this is complicated isn't it! I've been in a few interesting employment situations myself over the past few years (at the last count, I've had at least 6 separate contracts in 5 years and several cases of applying for new jobs when you don't know if you're going to get funding to extend the current one!). I've always been a believer in being open and honest with employers in this sort of situation. To be fair this does obviously depend on your relationship with your employers. I've always been lucky and found people to be pretty understanding as they're only too aware of the complexities of the situation.

If it was me I would explain the situation to your prospective new employer and see if they would be prepared to wait a few weeks for a decision, by which time you may, from what you say, know whether you're going to be made redundant from you current job. They may not be prepared to wait, but you can only ask. In any case definitely don't resign or anything else from your current job until you have things signed and in writing for the new job.

Strikes me that either job situation isn't ideal. You're weighing up the probability of being made redundant from the current job v the possibility of funding not being obtained for the new job. Only you know which is more likely to happen. Having said that I've been doing two jobs alongside each other over the past year and on this basis I'd say don't do it if you have a choice! It becomes a complicated nightmare when the requirements of the two conflict.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

xangeleyes

I would personally stay where you were.

At the moment, these are all just rumours so no guarantee that you will be made redundant.

If you say no to this new job - a job that you don't seem too pleased about to be honest - and you are made redundant, then you've at least got 3 months to look for new employment.

How would you feel if you chose the other job and found out that no one was made redundant?

You've said it yourself, you need full time work and you need it now, so just explain that to the employer and I'm sure they'll understand that. Or you could perhaps ask if you could start work at a later date and see what happens?
Can you do both of them? Is one during the day and the other in the evening? I know this would mean working flat out, but even if it was just for a few weeks...

Good luck

Rochdale_Guy

Thanks everyone.

Well, another worker in our team went for an interview and was offered a full time job (same Council, but totally different department), they ACCEPTED it today, leaving me, my line manager (who also works p/t in another job anyway!) and another person full time, like me.

They're getting out fast even though we haven't had any 90 days notice yet, not due until 31st December anyway, if we get it. But that's now a team now is it

Rochdale_Guy

Update for anyone interested - I had it confirmed by someone in the Council's "Adult Care" HR department that if I accept the new job and reduce my hours in my current job, I would only get e.g. 16 hours redundancy pay x 9.5 weeks (for 9.5 years service)

Assuming I get £300 a week before tax, any idea of what I'm likely to come out with? Is redundancy taxable? Hope not. And what's this notice pay?

Thanks

yvonne13_2

You pay tax and NI on redundancy money, what makes you think you don't?

Mara69

If it were me, I'd not accept the new job. Nothing to do with the redundancy though, merely because it is not what you want. Local authorities are pretty good at redeploying staff and it is likely that you'll end up with something that meets your needs better. If not, then at least you have a buffer (in respect of the redundancy pay). Personally, I'd start saving hard and cutting back where possible just in case.

dro

yvonne13 wrote: »

You pay tax and NI on redundancy money, what makes you think you don't?

You do not pay tax and NI on redundancy payments (up to £30,000). http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/individuals/redundancy-ee.htm