Redundancy due to health

sevenhills

I have a friend who is obese and a bad knee, she has been on the sick for almost a year.

Her sick pay runs out this month. She works for a local authority, but is not in the WYPF.

What happens in these situations, she actually passed her state pension age in Feb this year.

She is in the union, but she says she hasnt phoned them. She doesn't seem very bright. She is in a low-paid role.

comeandgo

She won’t be made redundant, you are made redundant if the employer or the job does not exist anymore, this looks like she is just not fit for the job in which case she will be dismissed.

sevenhills

comeandgo said:

She won’t be made redundant, you are made redundant if the employer or the job does not exist anymore, this looks like she is just not fit for the job in which case she will be dismissed.

We did have a voluntary redundancy scheme in April, lots left, she didn't get it. I don't know why, she just sends me occasional messages.

I know a few ladies that have not joined the councils really good pension scheme, it does make me think they are getting really poor advice and many will be poor compared to their male counterparts.

hyubh

sevenhills said:

I know a few ladies that have not joined the councils really good pension scheme, it does make me think they are getting really poor advice and many will be poor compared to their male counterparts.

Are you saying she is or is not a member of the LGPS?

sevenhills

hyubh said:

sevenhills said:

I know a few ladies that have not joined the councils really good pension scheme, it does make me think they are getting really poor advice and many will be poor compared to their male counterparts.

Are you saying she is or is not a member of the LGPS?

She is not a member. Maybe some think they should spend their money, not invest in a pension. I have been in the LGPS for 15 years.

Marcon

hyubh said:

sevenhills said:

I know a few ladies that have not joined the councils really good pension scheme, it does make me think they are getting really poor advice and many will be poor compared to their male counterparts.

Are you saying she is or is not a member of the LGPS?

WYPF - West Yorkshire Pension Fund.

At least as she's reached age 66 she will be getting a state pension.

elsien

sevenhills said:

I have a friend who is obese and a bad knee, she has been on the sick for almost a year.

Her sick pay runs out this month. She works for a local authority, but is not in the WYPF.

What happens in these situations, she actually passed her state pension age in Feb this year.

She is in the union, but she says she hasnt phoned them. She doesn't seem very bright. She is in a low-paid role.

Not much of a friend then, if you hardly see her and think she’s a bit thick. 

Retireinten

She's likely to be taken through capability and dismissed. I'm surprised the formal process of dismissal hasn't started given she's been off sick for close to a year.  


The only way she will get  a chance at redundancy is if the council goes through a redundancy process to reduce the number of posts that undertake her job role before her dismissal.  But if they get their act together she could be dismissed relatively quickly given her sickness record, which is a cheaper option than redundancy. 

Pollycat

sevenhills said:

I know a few ladies that have not joined the councils really good pension scheme, it does make me think they are getting really poor advice and many will be poor compared to their male counterparts.

sevenhills said:

She is not a member. Maybe some think they should spend their money, not invest in a pension. I have been in the LGPS for 15 years.

I guess that was her choice not to join the pension scheme.

Has she claimed her state pension?

Depending on her personal circumstances (is she single?) and her income, she may be eligible for Pension Credit.

sevenhills

Pollycat said:

I guess that was her choice not to join the pension scheme.

Has she claimed her state pension?

Depending on her personal circumstances (is she single?) and her income, she may be eligible for Pension Credit.

Yes, she is married and gets PIP.

I would assume a few years ago she would have reached pension age and they would have made her retire.

You would think they would still do that for someone with severe health issues. But I guess health issues are a private matter and the council may not be fully aware.

hyubh

sevenhills said:

I would assume a few years ago she would have reached pension age and they would have made her retire.

You would think they would still do that for someone with severe health issues. But I guess health issues are a private matter and the council may not be fully aware.

If the reason for dismissal is ill health meaning an employee can't perform their role, then that's what you dismiss them for. Dismissing purely due to age is not legal, and hasn't been for a while.

Talk of 'reaching pension age' and 'retiring' will typically refer to the LGPS in a local authority HR context, so I'd generally avoid that terminology to avoid confusion (like mine before...).