Business closing

chrispbug

The company where my partner has worked for 27 years - incidentally without a contract of employment - has 2 locations. The location she works at is closing shortly. Even though we have known the company was closing this location, the actual date of closure was announced on Facebook and the owners have never actually given my partner this date verbally or in writing or indeed anything in writing regarding the closure itself.
The closing location is within walking distance of our home so transport costs are minimal to say the least. The owners have verbally offered my partner a position at their second location which involves an approximate round journey of 16 miles. Obviously this means an immediate increase in transport costs - fuel, parking fees near the second location and wear and tear on our vehicle. The option of public transport has been explored but this is not an option to us.
We feel that the option of employment at the second location is not viable or cost effective to us as my partner's salary will be swallowed up with these increased costs.
With this in mind, we have turned down the verbal offer.
As the owners have never mentioned anything regarding any sort of payment in lieu of notice or a redundancy package we are wondering where we stand legally.
By turning down the offer, is my partner forfeiting any sort of package (if it is offered by the owners) ?
Should the owners have supplied written notice of closure at an earlier date ?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

p00hsticks

chrispbug wrote: »

The company where my partner has worked for 27 years - incidentally without a contract of employment - has 2 locations.

Sorry, I'm not able to answer your main queries, but your partner obviously DOES have a contract of employment.

They may not have anything in writing (which can make it more difficult when disputes arise, and they should have been given), but the fact that they've been turning up to work at a given place for 27 years, at mutually accepted days / times, and in return the employer has been paying them an agreed rate and allowing them certain holidays, sick pay etc means that both parties are recognising that a contract is in existence.

http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1577

Slinky

She'd throw away her employment for an 8 mile commute.....

Words fail me.

AJ1982

Dodgy ground if you are holding out for redundancy.

https://www.gov.uk/employer-relocation-your-rights

p00hsticks

Slinky wrote: »

She'd throw away her employment for an 8 mile commute.....

Words fail me.

The OP hasn't mentioned how many hours their partner works or what their salary is, but the fact that they say that "their salary would be swallowed up by the increased transport costs" suggests we're probably talking about only an hour or two's work a day at NMW (e.g a lunchtime canteen assistant or similar ? ).