Unfairly selected for redunandancy

Hello

I need your advise as i have my consultation meeting on wednesday at 11 am.

I was taken into the office on Tuesday 10th and told I was being made redundant, as the business needs to cut costs and that they had to use a score card to loose heads.

They informed me that the capital programmes team which I am a member with 3 other reps is being disbanded as of Jan 2010. However, it has become clear that only two members of this team (myself included) have been put under consultation for redundancy, even though they are restructuring.

They said they have based in on a score card matrix which i have been given visibility of. First of all they have scored our team alongside a different team which have an entirely different focus in the business and our job roles are not comparible - yet we have all been put in the same pot and scored on the same criteria.

Second of all, the matrix is extremely vague - just has words like Skill and Behaviour - and then a score next to it- there is no detail behind it.

Third of all - and most importnantly - they have added my column up incorrectly and I have received the third lowest score - not the second - so therefore It shouldnt be me under consultation when there are two people below me.

I believe this is because my director decided prior to this that he would make me redundant. My director has had very limited interaction with me - I think only 4 team meetings in the whole year, has never been in a meeting with customers etc so I don't think he is the right person to judge. My manager however, clearly stated to me that there are much weaker members of the team - and I have the evidence to prove this. I think my manager didnt like me - I had a mid point review which he scored me very low and I disagreed with him on it, but he pressurised me to sign it - again i have all the email trails showing this.

Do i have a case for unfair redundancy. If so, how do I broker this information? The meeting is only with my director - should I ask for HR to be there aswell?

Any help would be much apprecaited
Kind regards
Ktd

Hi

Ths points you have raised in your post should be raised at the consultation meeting tomorrow. Go along well prepared, ie with all copied of relevant correspondence and other evidence.

If your employer consults meaningfully, they should take on board all these issues and will certainly be expected to correct any errors that have been made in the selection process.

It is not possible for me to comment on whether the pool that has been chosen (ie the group of staff from whom selection is being made) is appropriate or not. However, if it does not make sense to you then I suggest you ask this to be clarified.

It is too early to be thinking about unfair dismissal as you have not yet been dismissed. However, you should ensure that you keep records of conversations and other documentation so that you can put together your case in the event that you are dismissed. You should be given the right to appeal if that happens, so that will be the first opportunity to clearly put your case.

I think it would be a good idea if you could get someone from HR to attend. They will understand the risks of not consulting effectively and could put pressure on line management to do it right. Whilst you do not have the statutory right to be accompanied at a consultation meeting (although you do for the dismissal meeting when and if it occurs) there is no harm in asking if you can take a fellow employee along as a witness.

Regards

Pete