Unfair or Discrimination?

madasaboxoffrogs

Hi, thanks in advance for your support.

I currently work at a school, doing everything IT (Technician, not teacher) and am about to be made redundant due to cost cutting.
However, we also use a contractor for some IT - they run the server, and have gradually been doing more and more. (Not my choice)

I am the ONLY technician on the premises, and work 20 hrs a week. The contractor provides telephone support, and twice monthly visits.

By cutting my job, they stand to save about 9k a year. However, the contractor is 2k a year for the telephone service, and £800 a month for their 2 afternoon visits, totaling about 10 hours. With me out of the building, chances are, they will need more on site visits, therefore upping the cost further.

I have a long term illness, and have been off sick a fair amount, and I feel that this is why it's me losing out and not the contractor. I am wondering if it looks to anyone else like I'm being discriminated against, or if it's just paranoia? What can I do about it if anything?

I'm not eating or sleeping at the moment because my husband has also recently suffered a serious accident and is not being paid anything but SSP - being kicked in the soft spot whilst I'm already down or what!

Thank you.

Michelle.

ssparks2003

Your role is being made redundant, this is not victimisation just pure economics. If the outside company was picking up your role within their contract you would have a claim for TUPE but it appears what you have written that the service is significantly different from what you provide. I personally see no grounds for any claim.

madasaboxoffrogs

Thank you ssparks2003. It just does not make economic sense to me to get rid of me, when I provide more support than the contractor does by a long way, and the support is warranted - so they will just end up paying more for additional support from the contractor in the end - and at £400 for 5 hours, the school will end up paying more, and services will suffer. I'm concerned that lessons will suffer without adequate support.

Andy_L

How long have you worked there?

madasaboxoffrogs

Almost 5 years.

madasaboxoffrogs

There are apparently other cuts being made, but I am the only redundancy.

Takeaway_Addict

madasaboxoffrogs wrote: »

Hi, thanks in advance for your support.

I currently work at a school, doing everything IT (Technician, not teacher) and am about to be made redundant due to cost cutting.
However, we also use a contractor for some IT - they run the server, and have gradually been doing more and more. (Not my choice)

I am the ONLY technician on the premises, and work 20 hrs a week. The contractor provides telephone support, and twice monthly visits.

By cutting my job, they stand to save about 9k a year. However, the contractor is 2k a year for the telephone service, and £800 a month for their 2 afternoon visits, totaling about 10 hours. With me out of the building, chances are, they will need more on site visits, therefore upping the cost further.

I have a long term illness, and have been off sick a fair amount, and I feel that this is why it's me losing out and not the contractor. I am wondering if it looks to anyone else like I'm being discriminated against, or if it's just paranoia? What can I do about it if anything?

I'm not eating or sleeping at the moment because my husband has also recently suffered a serious accident and is not being paid anything but SSP - being kicked in the soft spot whilst I'm already down or what!

Thank you.

Michelle.

I would expect with you not being at work for long periods of time due to illness they've probably looked at the situation and gone 'We're coping without her currently here, we can cope without her being here totally'

Also, with a contracter remember they don't have to pay holiday pay or sickness and generally have to deal with the hassle.

Undervalued

madasaboxoffrogs wrote: »

Thank you ssparks2003. It just does not make economic sense to me to get rid of me, when I provide more support than the contractor does by a long way, and the support is warranted - so they will just end up paying more for additional support from the contractor in the end - and at £400 for 5 hours, the school will end up paying more, and services will suffer. I'm concerned that lessons will suffer without adequate support.

That I'm afraid is irrelevant. The company (school) is entitled to make a decision to outsource a service if they so choose. It doesn't matter whether it is "economic" (in your opinion) or not. Other factors could quite legitimately affect that decision.

getmore4less

The consultation period is for you to put a case to the school that you are worth your cost.

you show that without your availability, being there every week, ability to respond quickly etc. means that there will be productivity losses waiting for the support to come in when needed(although much can probably be done remotely these days).

you document what you have done over a term using your 20hrs a week to keep the place running and how much disruption and cost it would cause for the contractor to do it.

If the contractor has already been picking up some of your stuff they may be proving they are more costs effective overall, especially if your availability has been compromised.


20hr seems quite a lot for what should essentially be a very stable infrastructure, what sort of thing are using up the 20hrs?

madasaboxoffrogs

I'm always busy doing something - its a large school with 300+ devices, plus smartboards and projectors, network, both hard and wireless and 500+ useres. Apart from the server, I do all hardware, software, administration and licencing, ad-hock training for both staff and students, and run an hour long computer club over lunch. And, I can guarantee that at least 3 people per day either forget a password to something, or get locked out of their account. I'd like to see them do that in 10 hours a month.

IAmWales

madasaboxoffrogs wrote: »

I'm always busy doing something - its a large school with 300+ devices, plus smartboards and projectors, network, both hard and wireless and 500+ useres. Apart from the server, I do all hardware, software, administration and licencing, ad-hock training for both staff and students, and run an hour long computer club over lunch. And, I can guarantee that at least 3 people per day either forget a password to something, or get locked out of their account. I'd like to see them do that in 10 hours a month.

Much of your work could be done by an office administrator with a little training, other bits by the ICT teaching staff. The way that budget cuts go is that they reallocate elements of the redundant role to various people, rarely just one.

By all means try to demonstrate that your role is still cost effective. Sadly I expect you'll find you are not indispensable. Sorry.