My husband’s company re-organised in March last year. His position was made redundant and his employer agreed that the post he was then offered through the initial slotting-in process was not suitable. He agreed to do most of the unsuitable role on an interim basis to tide the company over until it had found someone suitable, on receipt of a salary enhancement, and received a letter saying that at the end of October, if no suitable alternative position had been found for him he would be put in the redeployment pool for one month.
At the end of October and only after he had chased for it, he had a meeting and then received a letter saying that they were managing his redeployment and if a suitable alternative role was not found by the end of November he would be issued with his redundancy notice. The letter stated that if a suitable position was found during the notice period which may be six months but is definitely at least three months, the redundancy notice would be withdrawn.
At the end of November, despite asking several times nothing happened. In December, after discussion, he eventually received a letter just before Christmas saying that the company were extending the redeployment period until the end of January and were hopeful that a position would be available for him then. At the end of January nothing happened and his attempt at contact was rebutted. He was eventually told, and does not have ths is writing yet, that they now want him to do his existing interim role for a month then do another temporary job until next October and will then make him redundant.
His concern now is that if he does the new temporary role (which surely isn’t suitable if it is temporary?), they may want to extend again as last time. Even if they do issue a redundancy notice in OCtober, they can apparently then withdraw it within the notice period so it might be another year or even longer before he has any certainty.
All this uncertainty is taking its toll on him and family life. He doesn’t mind if he is made redundant or if they find him a proper job, he just wants some certainty one way or the other. How long can his employer keep messing him around and what do contributors suggest?
Amelia Wilman
