Office move - my rights?

JM2017

Hi,
My employer has recently told me that our office will be moving to a city (Manchester) 31 miles from my house. My current office is 17 miles from my house, I bought my house where I did as it was in a cheap area and a relatively easy commute. Everywhere else near the office and the city is much more expensive. The journey to the city will be at least three times longer on time and very expensive if on public transport.
My contract states that my "office location" is the town we are currently in and there is no reference to being obliged to move location if they make me. There is no reference to travel/being mobile whatsoever, but it categorically states that the office location is the current town without suggesting that the location can be changed if they wish to.
The only thing that I can see in the contract that would allow them to move the office would be by making a change to the terms and conditions of my contract for which they have to give me notice in writing and then I have 28 days to either agree or lodge a complaint.
There has been no suggestion that they are going to do anything in writing. They announced a 28 day "consultation" period and during that they asked us to advise of additional expenses but have not said anything to us. It is the last day of the consultation period tomorrow and only tomorrow has my boss agreed to talk to me (he was out of the office for ten days on holiday during the "consultation").
I am going to ask them to comply with my contract and put everything in writing to start the 28 day notice period of change of terms of my contract.
My question on this forum is what grounds do I now have to ensure that I am thoroughly compensated for the extra cost (indefinitely, not just for a temporary period) and/or obtaining redundancy (they have refused but for no reason, despite the fact that many people in other offices are currently at risk) or another suitable solution for me? I know that travelling five days a week to Manchester is going to be very detrimental to me health wise as well as mentally and financially, I just can't imagine how much I am going to hate it. I have asked to work from home a number of days a week but in the past they have refused.
I am now in the union (just joined) but they cannot represent me on this matter as I have only just joined.
Your advice would be much appreciated
Thank you very much

gettingtheresometime

If a short / easy commute is important to you then I suggest you start looking for a new job.

Unless you are extremely vital to the company, then you have 0% chance of them paying your travel expenses indefinitely as is being made redundant (you'd seriously prefer to made redundant???)

stator

I do sympathise, I hate the idea of commuting everyday but I don't think you'll have much luck to be honest. 31 miles is quite normal these days.
You'd be best off asking for a raise to compensate for the extra travel expenses.

FBaby

Your demand have to be reasonable, so expecting compensation 'indefinitely' is not going to get you anywhere. If they have made the decision to move, it is because they have assessed that there was a cost savings for doing so and the business need will always surpass individual needs. That's how it is.

The best you can do is either ask for a relocation package and you look to buy closer, even if it has to be somewhere smaller, it is all about the value, or you ask for commuting expenses, but you'll be lucky if this you get more than a few years. After that, that gives you enough time to look for another job closer.

They are probably not contemplating redundancy because they are not cutting your post from the restructure, so not meeting the terms of redundancy.

I've been in this position, moved to only three streets away from the office cutting down a 45 minutes commute to be told that we were moving to another office only two months later which became another 45mns to an hour commute the other way to a place much too expensive for me to consider moving to. Very frustrating, but so is life!

TELLIT01

Although the job is now going to be 31 miles from home, the company is only moving 14 miles so that is the only element you may be able to negotiate some payment for. Any payment will not be for ever, typically companies will offer support for anything from 12 months to 5 years and then support ends. The assumption being that the employee will either absorb the cost or find alternative employment.
Redundancy only applies if your role is disappearing and it appears that is not the case here.
Basically you have two options, either negotiate the best package you can to compensate for the move or look for another job.

getmore4less

Technically this is a redundancy situation with a suitable alternative(same job new office).

What everyone should have said during the consultation is we will have to consider leaving if the office moves.

they should also be consulting on the business case for the move, why this is good for the company

you will need to build a case for why this is not a suitable alternative to get redundancy if they are not offering that.

how many people are moving, it might need 30/45 days consultation.

getmore4less

TELLIT01 wrote: »

Although the job is now going to be 31 miles from home, the company is only moving 14 miles so that is the only element you may be able to negotiate some payment for. Any payment will not be for ever, typically companies will offer support for anything from 12 months to 5 years and then support ends. The assumption being that the employee will either absorb the cost or find alternative employment.
Redundancy only applies if your role is disappearing and it appears that is not the case here.
Basically you have two options, either negotiate the best package you can to compensate for the move or look for another job.

The move could be anything from 14 miles to 48 miles if the OP lived between the 2 offices but unlikely.

DomRavioli

I live 10 miles from Manchester. I bought my 3 bed semi detached with double gardens and off road parking for £80k. The "everywhere is expensive" statement is utter nonsense.

You can pick up a 2 bed terrace for around £50k, and I'm less than 5 mins walk to the train station, where it takes 17 minutes into Manchester.

Seems like you're choosing to find problems and refuse to move, as there are plenty of affordable purchases and rents within a decent commutable distance.

JM2017

Thanks for the comments.

It seems that my employer is now in breach of my contract as they have to provide 28 days' notice to alter the location that I work in and they have not done that and expect me to move within 28 days now. Would anyone happen to know how I could use a breach of contract to my advantage, by requesting redundancy or otherwise?

I am not trying to be difficult nor find many "problems" but having already travelled on a train to my current office location for a number of years I already know that I will hate the new journey.

I actually used the term "much more expensive" not "everywhere is expensive". Perhaps I should have added "more more expensive" in the areas that I would even contemplate living in near to Manchester.... Not wanting to move into the city, being in a reasonably nice area is pretty high up on my list of priorities if I was to move, which I won't be doing as I don't wish to lose thousands of pounds on my current house as the asking prices round here for the same kind of house is £15k less than I bought for.

I think a number of my colleagues have suggested that they will leave but I don't think our boss believes them. They all have families and mortgages and I have neither and so I don't have those constraints.

Sorry to hear what happened to you FBaby, I was looking to move closer to my current office last year but decided against it (that town is very expensive) so I am glad I didn't.

Thanks again and look forward to more constructive comments if anyone has any ideas.

JM2017

getmore4less wrote: »

how many people are moving, it might need 30/45 days consultation.

There are only eight of us, hence the short 28 days and no "collective consultation"

JM2017

getmore4less wrote: »

The move could be anything from 14 miles to 48 miles if the OP lived between the 2 offices but unlikely.

The office is moving 14 miles. I am just south west of both locations and so it's further for me. Wish I did live inbetween!