to think this means I probably won't be made redundant?

[Ellybellyboo]

We are in the middle of redundancies (again) at work at the moment.

I hate it here, it's so stressful and we're already under huge amounts of pressure and it's only going to get worse when our workforce is halved. We hear on Friday whether or not our jobs are at risk.

We were given the option of applying for voluntary redundancy, which I went for but was told yesterday that they have not accepted my application.

I had an interview last week and have heard today that I was successful so I obviously need to accept and hand in my notice as they want me to start asap.

I'm umming and ahhing about the likelihood of me being made redundant, given the fact that my voluntary redundancy application was refused.

If your current employer wants to make you redundant, they can't really hold you to your contractual notice because by making you redundant they are saying that your work is not needed or that they can't afford to keep you.

Sure you could be sued for breach of contract - but a contract that they want to terminate anyway.

The facts are that you have been threatened with redundancy and had your offer of going voluntarily turned down. If on Friday they tell you you have to go after all, then it will look incredibly bad for them if they then tried to sue you because you left for another job.

Tell your new job you accept but can't formally hand in your notice until Monday as that's when your manager returns from leave. That is actually what happened to me and new employer were fine. I gave other references for them to take up in the interim and then when my manager returned I handed my notice in.

I know it's not quite true for you but it might buy you some time...

Thanks all!

I'm going to wait it out.

I've spoken again to the new job. I've accepted and they are aware I want to wait until Friday to hand in my notice.

I was a bit worried they'd think I was a bit flakey and I didn't want to risk their offer but they've been really understanding. The manager in my new job knows my old manager here so they're going to ask him direct for a reference. Current employer shouldn't find out at all

Current employer have tried every trick they can think of to get out of paying redundancy money - last time, if they found out, anyone who was going straight into a new job were treated as having resigned even though they were working the full notice period.

They're arseholes, I don't know how they keep getting away with it, but no one has taken them to court yet