Redundancy query - what are my REAL options?

LegacyUser

Hi guys, hoping someone can help me out. 9Mods, if this should be in the social welfare forum please feel free to move.)

Our team have just been advised that due to restructuring the role of our team is being replaced. Details so far are quite sketchy, but the word 'redundancy' has been used, rather than anything else. Basically the job myself and the rest of our team do will no longer exist as of the 30th of December. In its place starting on the 2nd Jan will be 4 full time jobs, which will have a different job spec and new contract terms. And also there will be 2 p/t jobs - the P/T jobs will be totally new roles, although they will be admin based and more closely related to what we currently do. We will be expected to apply for the new roles, and we will be given the option of this before the jobs are advertised externally. If not we will be leaving.

In our department we are quite lucky, because each area is getting 4 F/T roles, and at present we only have a headcount of 2 in our area, so it means there are potentially 2 people applying for 4 jobs. The new F/T job will however be very different from the current role. It will require flexible working (i.e late nights and weekends) and 25% of the role will involve travelling. My current role is 9-5, Mon-Fri entirely office based. In reality, they are totally different roles (the new one is much more sales driven, current role is more admin support). My manager has assured myself and my colleague that we will be very strong candidates to apply for the new roles if we wish, although we would be on 6mth probation. Our other option is to accept redundancy.

My big dilemma however, is that realistically I cannot work flexible hours as I have a young son and my husband works shift work. If I were to work even 1 night a week and Saturday and travel, then this means that on those days I would need childcare from 7am until 9.30pm, and I just can't see that being possible (creche will only accept kids before 8.30am, don't do half days). that is best case scenario, most likely we have been advised we will need to work late 2-3 nights per week , and 2 Sat per month, and 1 Sun per month. No creche is available til that hour of the night and there is no one in my family I can ask to babysit (both me and hubby's family live abroad). We are only new in our neighbourhood, so there is no one I know well enough to leave with my son for that length of time.
Don't get me wrong, I know I am lucky that there is the option of any job, but honestly, I just don't realistically see how I can do the job under those conditions. Its not a case that I don't fancy it, I really can't do it, just the same as I can't take a job in Cork or Galway! I took my current job 18mths ago mainly because of the 9-5 nature of the work and my family committments. I left another job, which was better paying for the very reason that it was 9-5 and close to home, no travelling.

The P/T job that is available is 2.5 days per week, office hours. So exactly half my current role. It is also a job I would feel more competant at than the other one. It also has been said that there is the strong possibility that the role will develop to full time.

My question is - in regards to redundancy, where do I stand? If I don't apply for the new full time role, will this go against me with SW because I didn't apply for an available f/t job? If I apply for the P/T job and get it, will the SW see it as me choosing to go P/T and therefore I would not be entitled to the other days on Jobseekers? Even if I get the P/T I will continue to look for a full time role, and possibly the role will even become full time. We have worked through the numbers, and while P/T is not ideal, we could manage because we would save on childcare and travel, and furthermore I would actually be worse off financially with the full time job, because despite the 1K pay raise by the time I pay the extra childcare I will have less money than I do now.

Also, if I apply for neither job and accept redundancy does that mean I 'left' and therefore cannot claim dole straight away and will have to wait 12 weeks? the thoughts of finishing work Christmas week and not getting dole until March is quite scary.

I feel really conflicted - HR have told me that if I go for the P/T role and get it they would not be willing to sign anything for SW saying that this is the only available job, cos its not! they would only do this if I apply for the F/T role and don't get it! but the F/T role is VERY different and has very different conditions to my current role. Are they right in what they say? if I apply for the P/T role and not the F/T role does this mean I would loose any chance of getting SW for the other days?

If I do accept redundancy I won't even get ANY redundancy because the agreed finish date of the current role is 1 week before I will have completed the 2yr minimum requirement.

If you are still reading this, I commend your patience and thank you for it! I am totally at a loss what to do and feel like I am being backed into a corner of taking a job I can't do or be left unemployed Christmas week! neither of which are nice prospects.
Any help from the boardsies would be wonderfully welcomed

Mrs OBumble

My take: you need to apply for the p/t role, and you need to look for jobs elsewhere.

Why? Well The f/t one simply isn't possible, given your current family responsibilities - and as you said, with childcare costs you would be worse off. And redundancy isn't an option, because you won't get a payout.

tatli_lokma

JustMary wrote: »

My take: you need to apply for the p/t role, and you need to look for jobs elsewhere.

Why? Well The f/t one simply isn't possible, given your current family responsibilities - and as you said, with childcare costs you would be worse off. And redundancy isn't an option, because you won't get a payout.

but won't OP loose their SW on the other 2 days? If the job were playing fair they would acknowledge that the Fulltime job is not applicable for you. By saying that you are turning down a fulltime job in favour of a parttime one is a bit unfair of them IMO, because its not that you are turning it down for the sake of an easy life and a lie in twice a week!

If you don't get SocWlf 2 days a week, can you afford to go parttime?

castie

Surely if it is not a similar offer of employment (rather than an offer to apply as it seems here) shae should get redundancy anyway?

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/unemployment_and_redundancy/redundancy/redundancy_procedures.html

Above seems to say that it does indeed need to be an offer of employment as opposed to a chance to get the job.

So seems to me if they are not offering you the job outright your entitled to redundancy no matter what role you apply for.

Sidetracker

castie wrote: »

Surely if it is not a similar offer of employment (rather than an offer to apply as it seems here) shae should get redundancy anyway?

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/unemployment_and_redundancy/redundancy/redundancy_procedures.html

Above seems to say that it does indeed need to be an offer of employment as opposed to a chance to get the job.

So seems to me if they are not offering you the job outright your entitled to redundancy no matter what role you apply for.

I would be inclined to agree with Castie's view. If your job is being scrapped and you are not being offered an alternative job, then you must be entitled to redundancy !.

Mrs OBumble

But as the OP told us:

"If I do accept redundancy I won't even get ANY redundancy because the agreed finish date of the current role is 1 week before I will have completed the 2yr minimum requirement."

Redundancy without a payout is like the drink you have when you're not having a drink.