Vol Redundancy/Early Retirement advice please

[SymphonyofShadows]

A close family member has been in a public sector job for several decades in a management position. Their department was recently restructured and people on a certain pay band and above were told that VR would be considered. They applied for it and was granted it, quite surprisingly as they only have a couple of years left before retirement. Lots of other senior people have already left, including seemingly most of the senior people in HR. The payroll agency has also changed this month.

They are on the 'old' pension scheme so they are able to take their pension straight away, and have been eligible for a while. They have been chasing paperwork regarding this for several months but only got it through a week before the official leaving date, via an email that basically said they didn't know who would be dealing with it but to complete and return the form along with ID etc.

They have now finished work. They have received this month's pay but no redundancy pay and nothing about the pension. They are concerned about the pension as any delay is in the employers favour. I have had a look at the ACAS website which suggests that redundancy pay was due the day after they left. Just because the section is on a state of flux surely does not absolve them of their statutory responsibilities. Does anybody know what the law states with regards to timelines please? If we were certain what the obligations are they can email all the parties stating these and asking for guaranteed dates for payment. Thanks for reading, it was longer than intended!

I was made redundant mid x month. I was paid my full redundancy the end of the next month. They should be able to ask when their money will be paid

Thanks. They have had this month's payslip as normal, but no sign of the payment. The pension is slightly more worrying as it has been dealt with so badly actually getting the paperwork to them. No one has been available to answer any questions, and a new person has taken over the department who is quite frank about not knowing the system. It would help enormously if my family member were able to state their expectations in writing, based on the law in this area.

*No sign of the redundancy payment

If in UK and under state pension age you can apply for job seekers or universal credit due to contribution based. It cannot be back dated, so apply the day after being made redundant. The redundancy pay is not taken into account, until a certain time period, which the job centre will advise you of that date.

Chase the employer for the redundancy pay. I would ring payroll direct but it will probably arrive next month. Make sure payroll know it is due and make a fuss.

Go direct to the pension scheme for the pension payments. If they haven't been notified (sounds likely) then they won't know to pay but may help you resolve the issue & get things moving. I would also natter HR and previous manager. Ime being an utter pest usually works in cases like this (they sound incredibly disorganised so nagging/ringing up regularly is likely to bring about the right result.

Thanks for the replies. I've found some information on the pension site (NHS). It says that it's down to the employer to send in the paperwork, which has all been completed and countersigned. They aim to turn it around in ten days but will pay interest from the due date, so that's good. I will make sure emails go out to them and HR tomorrow. The one to HR will ask when the redundancy payment, along with a break down, is due to be paid, I will make sure it mentions P45 and possible interest payments. It's just been handled really badly, lots of senior HR staff have left and the ones who are still in post have admitted in emails that they aren't sure who is dealing with it. Now that communication is through personal email rather than a work account I can be more help in drafting things. I was a bit concerned as the family member in question is quite passive and doesn't want to make a fuss. I just want to protect their interests. Now I know the official procedure regarding the pension and have some info from the ACAS website I'm confident that it can get sorted.

Is it voluntary redundancy OR early retirement? Makes a difference. Speak to Acas or look online to find out timeframes. I assume you have the payout etc confirmed in writing?

It's voluntary redundancy, they have been through the consultation process and know what sort of figure to expect. They are also able to get access to their workplace pension due to the scheme they are on, and they age at which you can choose to start receiving it. They have been eligible to receive this for some time but haven't done so as they were still in post.