Redundancy Question - NHS!

moments_of_sanity

OH works for the NHS as a grade 4 (they are graded 1 - 5, 1 being the lowest grade, 5 being the highest). OH has been given consultation that his job was no longer available and asked to apply for a grade 4 and a grade 5. The grade 4 was unsuitable as it increased his travel per week by over 200 miles as this is at another hospital site so he put his notice of interest forward for the 5 and sent a letter saying he couldn't take the other due to travel/work life balance etc, this was accepted and today he has had his interview for the grade 5. He has had a call to say that he didn't get the 5 and now they are saying that he has to apply for the lower grade 3 job to protect himself!

They will pay up to 36 months on the grade 4 salary before dropping it down to a grade 3 pay but this will mean he eventually will be on about £3k less a year.

Can they legally ask him to go for a job which is a lower grade, saying that he will otherwise lose his entitlement to redundancy? This seems to be really unfair and seems like they are moving the goalposts as in his 1-2-1 the grade 3 was never mentioned and nothing put in writing as to having to apply for it?

If anyone could help I would be very grateful, thank you

nightingalesgarden

Look at it another way - This is a fantastic offer!

Three years (not 3 months, but 3 years...) of salary protection. Three years to find a Grade 4/5 job that suits his needs (again, not 90 days, not 30 days but 3 years...)

Most people would be over the moon with such an offer.

But, I understand that it's a distressing situation - NHS processes are so complex that only a very few understand how they work....no wonder you have questions.

A few points:

1) Google the name of the trust and "redundancy policy" all their polices are on-line - this should help you understand the process they are going through.

2) He can't force redundancy - the offer they are making is very reasonable and the management is working to save roles not make people redundant. Currently a 10% pay cut is seen as reasonable by the Employment Tribunals so gold plated policies such as this certainly wouldn't be seen as unreasonable/a reason to force redundancy.

3) The unions have worked very hard to ensure that their members retain jobs within the NHS. Hence such agreements as red-circling of salary in a lesser role rather than redundancy. So the management are not being unreasonable - rather following through with the collective agreements they have made with the unions.

4) This is happening across the NHS, at all levels - not just to your husband. I know that won't help, but just to let you know that this is general policy rather than unique to him.

picasso2

I can confirm that this is happening throughout the country in the NHS. A number of my band 7 colleagues have to reapply for a significantly smaller number of jobs and the unsuccessful ones will be working as band 6 with protected pay until they find other employment or the 3 years is up.

It is not redundancy it is reconfiguration or restructure.

Your OH is fortunate to still have employment . He should ask if he will be given training opportunities etc.

Three years is a long time - especially in the NHS - don't know anybody that suffered in the last lot of reforms over 3 years ago.

moments_of_sanity

Thanks for your reply Nightingalesgarden, OH is unhappy about taking the reduced job, it will not only affect his pay once he comes to the end of the 36 months but it will also reduce his final pension pay. He has been with the NHS for 10 years and worked his way up from first being employed as a grade 2 so this seems like a backwards step for him (he is nearly 50).

It would be more than a 10% pay cut he is taking, the figures are coming in at 15% pay drop at the end of the 3 years. As for finding alternative grade 4 or 5 jobs, the reason he is being asked to downgrade is because there are no other jobs with that grade available. He already spends £250 per week travelling backwards and forwards to work and to do this with a reduction in salary of 15% is going to make things really tight for us. We were hoping he would get redundancy and be able to find work locally for the same salary (redundancy would have given him 12 months salary to be able to find alternative employment).

Sorry I know this sounds ungrateful as he will still have a job at the end of it which is more than some have.

esmy

So he now has three years on a protected salary (which would mean no change to his pension in those 3 years) and 3 years to look for another job, rather than 12 months? Sounds a much better deal than redundancy to me.

gibson123

The change is happening, you and your husband have to accept that his job has gone and look to make the best of this, rather than asking can they? will they? etc. you need to ask yourselves and your employers questions like:

Is voluntary redundancy an option?

What jobs are available to me within reasonable travelling distance?

What are my other options and how will this affect us financially and socially?

good luck

nightingalesgarden

I'll share my thoughts on redundancy with you - maybe this will help.

Redundancy is a decision made for you - so once you've got over the shock, you get on with making the 100's of smaller decisions yourself - find a new job , invest some of the money etc. You move on quickly as there is little else you can do. You grumble but look forward, not backwards....

But if you are just generally disheartened about work and are thinking about changing your job then the situation is very different. You have plenty of time to worry and think about all the different considerations. There's no catalyst to swiftly move on and make the changes needed...it's just harder to get going somehow..

(a bit like having an old car, you spend months considering whether to get it through it's next MOT or if to a new one - but if it blew up - you'd buy one the next weekend - because you had to...)

That's why you hear people say "I wish they would make me redundant" it's not just the money - it's the catalyst they are looking for to make a change.

Your OH has roughly the same options with or without redundancy - perhaps a little more money with, but that could quickly run out....

Ainsley1

" He already spends £250 per week travelling backwards and forwards to work......."
Was that a typo or not? £1K per month just on travelling?

Having gone through redundancy myself (and 18 months of will/won't it leading up to it) I feel for anybody in that situation.

I had to make a similar decision but that was without the (still) considerable stability of jobs within the NHS that applies to your OH. I did apply for another internal post, did not get it but was pleased in the end as I had no confidence in long term employment in that post and did manage to find another job straight away.

If I was in his position I would do as other posters suggest and buy some time. If he has enough confidence to find another job nearer home then what has he got to lose? Whilst working there might be opportunities, training possibilities, expanding his experience...AND increasing his number of pensionable service years.

Probably not a lot of consolation to OH but many have lost their jobs and would jump at a band 3 post with a public organisation!

getmore4less

There is still the chance of redundacy but a slim one.

the job has to be a suitable alternative

if location is the same and protected pay, hours similar then there is little else, failing interview is an option.


best bet would be keep the job and look for another NHS job with much lower travel costs.


Can't believe it is £250pw , cheaper to rent a place next door and walk to work.

moments_of_sanity

Thank you to everyone for your replies. Sorry mileage should have read 250 miles per week not cost

OH has more or less been told today that he will have to apply for the grade 3 but probably won't get it. OH has decided that he wants to become his own boss and has a business idea that he wants to look into over the next coming weeks.

Thanks again for your replies :beer: