Work Issues - please help

[Southwind]

Hi

Sorry this is long but we are having a lot of work issues.

Me and my partner work for the same company, he works in the warehouse and I work in the offices. Both of us have worked for this company for a long time.
The offices have recently relocated premises to where we currently live. The warehouse will be relocating to the same area, they say in the next couple of months.
This was supposed to happen at the beginning of last year and as we wanted to live together we decided to rent a house in the town they were relocating to.
As we both lived in the town the offices and warehouse were relocating to we did not qualify for the redundancy package. This was not an issue as we both loved our jobs, hence why we moved towns.

Then......I found out I was pregnant. Senior members of staff attitudes changed towards me and to cut a long story short I am currently signed off with work related stress. I am taking advise at the moment on my issue. Whilst I have been off we have decided that due to the lack of support and negative treament I have received from the company and because I am having a baby, to move back to our home town to live where I will have the support of both our families. I also have a 10yr old daughter who was not settling into our new life here anyway and is extremely happy to be going home.

My partner has just been passed over for promotion for a new person who has been there only 2 months, now we cant be sure this is because of my situation or not, they claim this person has more to bring to the role but to us this is clearly not the case.
As we are moving back home (to the town the warehouse is currently in) will my partner be entitiled to the voluntary redundancy package as technically we will be living far enough from the new premises to qualify or is it too late?

Thanks in advance for reading this.

If the package is voluntary then it will usually be voluntary on both sides so you are not obliged to apply and the company is not obliged to offer it to you. The company does need to make sure that any criteria it applies are fair and non-discriminatory.

If things are bad then your dp may be able to go to the employer and indicate that he is willing to go under a package and if they really want to get rid of him then they may be prepared to offer it to him. He will probably have to sign a compromise agreement as it may not be reundancy in the true sense (there is a job still for him to do).

As this is not compulsory redundancy I don't think the question of timing really arises - it will just be a question of what can now be negotiated, if anything.