Redundancy date change

bash71 · 13 January 2020 at 8:36PM

Hi all,

I was told back in Feb 2018 that my company would be closing the factory on Jan 31st 20, they gave us our redundancy letters containing our monetary figures and a redundancy date of 31st Jan 2020.
Then in May 2019 they told us this was to be extended to 31st July 2020 and again received letters with revised figures etc.

The week before Christmas they then told us that no one can leave in 2020 as the site they are moving our work to has had problems.

I wrote a letter stating that I wished to formalise being made redundant in July but they have rejected it stating no one can leave then but they are allowing around 30 people to go in January.

My questions are do I have a right to leave in July as stated and also the original date we were to be made redundant us the 31st January does this mean technically I am redundant on the 1st of Feb due to not been offered a new contract for the extended periods they’ve asked for?

Thanks in advance for any comments/info

Blatchford · 13 January 2020 at 9:42PM

bash71 wrote: »

Hi all,

I was told back in Feb 2018 that my company would be closing the factory on Jan 31st 20, they gave us our redundancy letters containing our monetary figures and a redundancy date of 31st Jan 2020.
Then in May 2019 they told us this was to be extended to 31st July 2020 and again received letters with revised figures etc.

The week before Christmas they then told us that no one can leave in 2020 as the site they are moving our work to has had problems.

I wrote a letter stating that I wished to formalise being made redundant in July but they have rejected it stating no one can leave then but they are allowing around 30 people to go in January.

My questions are do I have a right to leave in July as stated and also the original date we were to be made redundant us the 31st January does this mean technically I am redundant on the 1st of Feb due to not been offered a new contract for the extended periods they’ve asked for?

Thanks in advance for any comments/info

Sorry, there is no right to be made redundant, and you can't "pick" your redundancy date. Your contact continues until your employer makes you redundant, and that doesn't mean when they give you notice of a date - it means that redundancy can be cancelled literally up to the very last second of the notice period. They have told you that you will not be made redundant this year. So unless they change their minds you will not be made redundant this year.

The right is to not be made redundant unless there is absolutely no other alternative, not to be made redundant.

bash71 · 14 January 2020 at 11:49AM

Thanks for the info.
I’m a bit gutted to read that though as my workplace is becoming very poisonous due to all these extensions and now not even got a finishing date.
:-(

Blatchford · 14 January 2020 at 7:03PM

I'm sure it is, and sorry, but you can't mess with this. It's a version of Hotel California (probably showing my age there) - you can check out any time you want, but without redundancy pay. That said, if you have a better place to go, go. Redundancy pay isn't all its cracked up to be! It disappears very quickly if you don't have a job.

getmore4less · 15 January 2020 at 3:04PM

It is a bit of a catch 22 for any company looking at plans

Try to be nice by giving plenty of warning or just keep quiet.

They probably should have made it clear that the plans could change as a lot can happen over the next 11 months especially if it is a move of production rather than a shutdown although it should be obvious.

A lot of place just keep quiet and and try to keep the plans secret for as long as possible springing them on people much closer to the date often with just statutory consultation and notice.

I would say they are still being pretty decent with a good 6 months notice of the changes each time it does get frustrating when it happens a few times and job hunting has started.

Redundancy date change

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free