DH being made redundant but have opportunity to "argue our case" please help

[pinkspook]

As the title suggests, DH told he is on short list to go, we are in a tailspin but need to put together a letter to try and plead our case. We have come up with some ideas (basically DH has been at this company less than 12 months so still on probationary period and those selected have either/or 1) a poor sick record 2) a poor works matrix (basically the amount of jobs you know how to do in the factory) It is a very large manufacturing company (if that makes any difference)

Firstly DH has only had 1 day off since starting in Feb and that was for broken ribs sustained whilst cycling up the road towards work (the security guards even saw him and picked him up) He then continued into work and worked a full day with broken ribs in immense pain and went to hospital later, then having just one day off the next day to recover (he was reccomended min 2 weeks!)

Secondly - The work matrix - ever since DH started there he has asked at least on a weekly basis if not more often, for overtime or to learn other jobs, to no avail, even offering to work through his breaks and lunches to learn or a day for free at weekends to learn - all to no avail (it seems there were a "chosen few" who the line manager liked who learned new stuff and the others didnt get a look in)

We are devastated, he will only get 1 weeks pay in redundancy money and with xmas approaching and little hope of another job we are desperate to try and keep him there.

So any suggestions gratefully accepted. Please any one, if you could give us a clue what else to put other than what I have done here, any managers give us a clue what would make you keep someone

Thanks in anticipation

Just to add - even the day he took off for broken ribs he asked if he could take as annual leave so as not to affect his sick record

Sympathies pinkspook, my DH is in a very similar position but is having to wait and see if he is one of the ones to go. He doesn't get a chance to plead his case so I don't have any good ideas, sorry. In fact, I've never heard of this before, it doesn't sound quite right to me.

Perhaps DH could say how much he enjoys the job, even if he doesn't, although I wouldn't mention that he doesn't seem to be one of the chosen few. I would emphasis though that he is very willing to learn and has offered many times but not been taken up on the offer. Is he in the union or is there a factory committee he could go to for advice?

Sorry to hear this, pinkspook. Like sweetcat, my dh is in a similar position but the boss made it clear that only his "inner circle" could stay and the rest could bugger off.

Maybe the boss is just trying to cover his back? I have no helpful suggestions, just lots of sympathy - sorry!

I know it is not ideal timing, but to be quite honest his employers sound positively Dickensian.

Hopefully, he will get something else soon.

What job does he do, what sort of qualifications has he got for it, are there many people who could do his job, has he got a good record of staying with previous employers for decent lengths of time etc etc. If you could give some more detail, I'll have a think about good points to put to them. I'm good at arguing and have been through redundancy with DH many times..... Really feel for you x

is it a right to appeal?
they have to by law give rundundee (?) a right to appeal i believe

as others have mentioned, state his commitment, good work record, willingness to learn improve skills etc
it cant to any harm

it is a shit situation, hope it is has good outcome, my sympathies

Thank you everyone for replying - sorry I went away to eat tea!

In answer to your questions he has no direct qualifications for the job (its mechanical production work - basically building trucks) but he has got 7 years experience in the industry - not in this role, at this company, but in the same industry. He stayed at his previous job for 7 years and before that was self employed.

Auraofdora - yes its a right to appeal I think? DH not too sure on the details. Just been told he would get the chance to say his piece before he goes and that "sorry but someone has to go" which we understand but what gets to us he's tried so hard to do the things the redundees are being selected on but has been actively prevented from having these opportunities whereas others who started at the same time but had no background in manufacturing (and I am thinking of one particular person who is 19, lives at home, and worked at a refuse site prior to this role but seems very well in with the ilne manager- me bitter? never! )have been doing hundreds of hours paid overtime and learned nearly all of the training matrix!

Sorry for ranting and I know they wont want to hear any of that but we are just fuming and devastated

he may have a case then...
how long have you guys got til this happens?

I would get down to Citizen's Advice/ ACAS/ his union, with all documents you have from company and compose a good reply stating what you have said here....
if there is a good case it could go to industrial tribunal i beleive (no expert) so get some advice asap

it is truly shit pinkspook, we are going thru similar and it's rotten

chin up sweetie good luck x

Thanks Aura I keep telling him to go to the union but he thinks it will make things worse for him, should he stay! Am blue in the face from trying to tell he's wrong!

Good luck with your situation too, its the pits isn't it xx

pinkspook if he is in the union he must speak to them.

Have a look here about redundancy.

Unfortunately if your DH has less than a year's service he doesn't have any right to claim unfair dismissal, so if they make him redundant unless it's some kind of discrimination, he can't do anything about it.

In terms of an employer's point of view, I would select people for redundancy based on a combination of factors usually based on skills and experience they offer, attendance record, things like that. SOmeone pleading their case wouldn't make a difference to me, what they are offering in terms of skills would.

Thanks flowery beanbag - trouble is he has been actively prevented from gaining skills in this role. So we haven't a chance in hell I guess

It doesn't sound good tbh, with so little service he's easy and cheap to get rid of unfortunately.

But as he's been given the opportunity to make his case he should certainly do so, a good attitude might sway someone, you never know.

Best of luck

Thanks FB - he's just going to say he will work weekends for free to gain extra skills to see if thst helps

Sounds like it's a consultation situation. When an employer makes redundancies of more than 20 jobs they have to undertake a 30 day consultation with employees (usually via the union). If more than 100 people are affected they have to consult for 90 days.

Your DP really should get in touch with his union. It won't make matters worse for him. In his current situation it can only help. That's what the union's there for.

good luck

My DH was very recently in this situation and it was an agonising two weeks. What my DH did was he prepared a document which his employers could keep and refer to after their meeting. In that document he listed all the tasks he carries out on a daily basis, any special projects that he had undertaken during the year and how smoothly they had gone through. Although he is an IT guy he has a very creative streak and had often been called in on an ad hoc basis to design things for the marketing department that his department head was unaware of, so he provided details of all his work he'd done for them, but at the same time contacted the firm's marketing company and asked them to give him a ballpark figure of how much it would have cost the firm to do that work, turns out he saved them more than his salary which his department head was completely unaware of. He basically sold himself big time and fortunately for us he managed to keep his job. Because my husband only works four days a week he was really convinced that he would be the one to go and that they would keep on the full time members of staff, he is convinced that by making the document for his department head to look at and read at leisure saved his job.

Best of luck for your situation - it's a really stressful time to be in.