My DM phoned me last night to tell her boss is making her redundant. I was shocked and sympathetic but told her there are a lot of people in the same boat at the mo. and there's not a lot that can be done.
Than she started giving me the full story.
My Mum works for a weaving firm, who produce the bedding etc sold for outrageous prices by several well-known dept stores.
One of them has recently decided to reduce its strock volume and has sent a termination of contract notice to the firm. Sad but fine, so far.
This means Boss has more staff than work, or will have shortly, so he starts making staff across the company redundant.
Here's where it gets thorny:
He laid off nine in June - no consultation, no discussion, just a letter saying, 'so long!'
He's now making a further 16 redundant.
Again, no consultation etc. Just a verbal announcement on last monday, then a letter last Tuesday stating they were making her redundant, with notice given from that date.
She's been there six years, so is entitled to 6 weeks redundancy pay according to contract, plus outstanding wages, hols etc.
Again, all fine (bit 
on the lack on consultation but...)
My mum and several of her colleagues throught about this and immediately went and contacted the other similar businesses on the ind. estate the firm is based on. One of them, happily, came up gold and offered all of them very similar jobs to the ones they are losing, starting as soon as their notice period ends.
Then came yesterday:
Big Dept Store has apparently realised that it's coming up to Christmas and has contacted firm saying 'Actually, we need to extend your production till xxyy'
Cue another letter from Boss to Staff: 'Due to the change in contract termination from Big Dept Store, we will now be making you redundant on 21st Oct.
An hour later, when several staff members, inc. my mum, had pointed out that they had new jobs starting well before that, another letter followed stating: 'Anyone who leaves the firm before 21st Oct will forfeit all redundancy pay etc...'
My mum is now very upset because, as she sees it, she has a choice: Stay with her current firm for however long (and it has occurred to both of us that BOss could keep doing this until Doomsday!) and get her redundancy pay etc but have no lined up job
Or, leave as planned, go to her new job but losed a couple of thousand pounds in redundancy money.
My thought was that he's not legally entitled to change his mind like this. Once he's given redundancy notice, that's it, and that if she leaves on the orginal stated date he will have to give her the money she's owed.
ACAS, btw, have given conflicting advice. One advisor said yes, one said no.
Help!!