Can i be made Redundant if the Job still Exists?

Wilcouk

Hi there,

My company are about to make cutbacks/redundancies and i've been told my job is at risk... only my role actually isn't, across the company there are 300 people that have been selected and to narrow it down further our team of 6 people is being reduced down to 3, however my role is more hands on as i have to travel between sites and do duties that usually more time consuming than anything, it's not a highly skilled role however it is very important to the business what i do get's done, so therefore the role will continue to exist after i'm gone....

Now what i've been told after a "careful" point scoring and selection process that i've been selected to be at risk for redundancy and what they are planning to do is find me another role in the company (45 days consultation period has begun) and if they can't do that then i'd be at risk for Redundancy, the role or duties of my job will then be absorbed (Managers words right there) by the rest of the team - however, that to me sounds like the role isn't redundant and the job hasn't ceased to exist...

We were told in December that no redundancies would be made, i even turned down Voluntary Redundancy because i was told on a conference call that even if our roles were to be made redundant then we would be put into a pool where we can retrain for something else in the company and there would be a healthy pipeline of work... that has all since disappeared and i feel like i've been lied to, i don't feel like i can trust the company to find me (let alone another 300 people in the same boat) a role in the company.

where do i stand from a legal point of view?

BorisThomson

Reallocation of duties will make your role redundant.

Business needs change over time. They may well have meant what they said in December, but for whatever reason things are different now.

General_Grant

In fact even if your job still existed as it now is, you could still be dismissed on the grounds of redundancy. Someone else in the organisation could be moved into it because their role had disappeared. It's known as "bumping".

MalMonroe

Citizens Advice Bureau can help you, there are certain regulations employers need to adhere to. And do make sure you get some monetary compensation, whatever happens.

Les79

Any option of figuring out what sort of person they want to keep on beyond redundancy? (though in fairness the whole company could be like the Titanic and this may be the initial iceberg collision).

If they are cutting the team from 6 to 3 then surely they will be looking at the most valuable assets to the business? Or maybe the ones who are more willing to accept a pay cut?

getmore4less

Consult that's what the 45 days are for.

put a case together that explains why you doing job is better than it getting absorbed by others.

Make sure those others are aware what they will be taking on if you go.

Comms69

How long have you worked there?

andygb

Unfortunately for the OP, it is a disgusting situation, and something which unscrupulous employers take advantage of time and time again.
Both my wife and I have experienced this more than once in the past, where we were "made redundant", yet our jobs were filled by younger, cheaper models - less experienced but cheaper.