Re: Choosing people for redundancy : Thu Jan 26, 2012 5:54 pm  

Ferocious Aardvark wrote:

Except I'm not certain that this would quite count as using objective selection criteria. Sounds like a cop-out. Would be funny listening to them trying to persuade a tribunal that the procedure was fair and reasonable! Still, if it is really true that the pool all 100% agree this, then get on with it, as (obviously) there is zero risk of a tribunal claim being brought by an unlucky worker.

Yeah, right! I'd deffo take that risk if I was the employer!!

However, if it is true that the pool all agree on it, there IS a way to do it, outside the workplace, by the pool of workers themselves.

The employer selects nobody. They ask for 10 VOLUNTEERS for redundancy. The pool then go away somewhere quiet and draw lots, as a purely personal thing, and the "winners" go and volunteer for redundancy. Job done. The employer neither knows, nor cares, why they got the 10 volunteers they wanted, and everyone is seemingly happy.

I don't doubt that 'legally' there is an issue, I just think from a practical point its fair. Anyway, I believe Edinburgh council have had a 're-think'

Re: Choosing people for redundancy : Thu Jan 26, 2012 8:37 pm  

rover49 wrote:

I don't doubt that 'legally' there is an issue, I just think from a practical point its fair. Anyway, I believe Edinburgh council have had a 're-think'

I think its more likely that the radio station who reported the mis-information have had a call to their own legal representatives from Edinburgh Council who would be keen to kick their backsides through the courts if they persisted in touting the opinion that Edinburgh Council picks its redundancies via bits of paper and an old hat.

I tried to make a person redundant 3 to 4 years ago, that was my first mistake as the legal representative for the Fed of Small Businesses pointed out to me when I rang the legal helpline - you make the position redundant not the employee and there is a well defined procedure for interviewing and assessing all employees not least of which includes full disclosure and discussion with your employees, for as was well demonstrated at the start of the first recession of recent times, the workforce will often suggest an alternative to cutting payroll costs that management haven't yet dreamed of in order to keep everyone in employment.

Re: Choosing people for redundancy : Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:04 pm  

Personally if i ran a company i'd think i'd hire an outside independent company to re-interview my whole staff, no preconceptions or favoritism. Best candidates stay.

Not sure if that's legal, but i'd like to think that would be the fairest way and all the best people stay, and to be fair if you're struggling and have to lose people it's surely better to keep the best to try to help pull you out of the sh*t.

Re: Choosing people for redundancy : Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:23 pm  

rover49 wrote:

I think you might be wrong on the job being made redundant, my company went through this a while back and selection was made on a scoring system, not jobs. They wanted 3 to go and it was clear that the individual was assessed not the post. A builder I am dealing with has also done this, they made several managers and supervisors redundant while sites were live and just moved others into their place, it was done on 'competency' and the lower your score the more at risk.

This is how it was done during our last few redundancies,people not jobs and then people put into other peoples places when they where gone...
Mind you, this is not an issue with this last lot we're going through...

Re: Choosing people for redundancy : Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:29 pm  

McLaren_Field wrote:

I think its more likely that the radio station who reported the mis-information have had a call to their own legal representatives from Edinburgh Council who would be keen to kick their backsides through the courts if they persisted in touting the opinion that Edinburgh Council picks its redundancies via bits of paper and an old hat.

Yup, what do you think they are? A two bit operation that can't build a tram system without spending close on a billion quid, oh hang on...

Bits of paper and an old hat sounds organised for Edinbuggers TBH.

Re: Choosing people for redundancy : Fri Jan 27, 2012 9:29 am  

Big Graeme wrote:

Bits of paper and an old hat sounds organised for Edinbuggers TBH.

Was this not the same Council who went to referendum on the introduction of a congestion charge?

I've had numerous dealings on the subject of improving local air quality & traffic management with them in the past, it soon became apparent that their arse and elbow were in different galaxies

Re: Choosing people for redundancy : Fri Jan 27, 2012 10:14 am  

Big Graeme wrote:

Yup, what do you think they are? A two bit operation that can't build a tram system without spending close on a billion quid, oh hang on...

Bits of paper and an old hat sounds organised for Edinbuggers TBH.

Have they moved off Princes Street yet ?

Re: Choosing people for redundancy : Fri Jan 27, 2012 12:15 pm  

McLaren_Field wrote:

Have they moved off Princes Street yet ?

Nope.

Re: Choosing people for redundancy : Fri Jan 27, 2012 12:38 pm  

Big Graeme wrote:

Nope.

Bloody hell.

So there is no chance of them having reached Leith by the time I make it there in August ?

Re: Choosing people for redundancy : Fri Jan 27, 2012 12:44 pm  

McLaren_Field wrote:

Bloody hell.

So there is no chance of them having reached Leith by the time I make it there in August ?

It isn't going to Leith any more.