Redundancy

[StressedOutemployee]

I've name changed for this as i could really do with some advice but don't want it linking back to me!

I have been working from home for the past 8 weeks due to an office move and then covid 19. My work has been rubbish at staying in touch with me and in all that time I have had precisely 2 conversations with my line manager. Any how I get a call out of the blue today telling me that the company is worried about business going forward and my role is being made redundant. I asked them if they would consider furlough and received a categoric no.

They have offered me 3 weeks statutory redundancy pay, plus five weeks enhanced, plus a months pay in lieu of notice, but only if I accept t h e settlement and sign an agreement. They have sent me a letter confirming this but have demanded that I speak to a solicitor and let them know my decision by 5pm tomorrow at which point they will let me have a copy of the settlement agreement. I assume that will contain a clause saying I can't go after them for unfair dismissal. My employment will terminate a week on Friday. If I refuse this settlement I will lose the offer and it will go down standard redundancy consultation route and I will only come away with statutory redundancy.

My issue is that for the last year the role I have been doing is no longer the role that they are making redundant. Whilst I still do some of that role 75% of my time is spent doing the additional role and in order for the company to function going forward, they are going to have to give that work to someone else.

My gut feeling is they are using this as an excuse to get rid of me, despite the letter saying they have no issue with my work, the bosses wife has taken against me and this is an easy get out for them.

I am so torn, I really can't afford to turn down the money, but the solicitor I have spoken to has advised that the whole way they are conducting this including the terminology they have used, and the fact they want me to agree to a settlement document but won't let me see it until I have agreed to it has so many red flags it's untrue. However if I sign the agreement I suspect I will not be able to go after them for unfair dismissal.

Sorry that was much longer than I thought, but I could really do with some outside perspective.

[TARSCOUT]

How long have you been employed there?

[StressedOutEmployee]

3 years.

[TARSCOUT]

If less than two years they can go through the motions and give you a weeks notice to terminate your employment. If more than two years they will need to do a redundancy consultation which needs 30 days notice. So that plus a weeks notice pay. Sounds like your are out anyway so maybe better for your CV to take the offer of 'redundancy'..Not fair I know.

[TARSCOUT]

Ah well, 3 years is a bit different..In that case go for redundancy consultation. Look at Acas for how redundancy works.

[KillerofMen]

They should be paying for a solicitor to look over the settlement agreement on your behalf. You can't agree to it before seeing the documentation.