Pregnant and up against colleague in redundancy selection

Hi I wish I found this forum before, I need advice quite rapidly and really hope someone can help.

I work on a service for which I am the manager, I have many years experience and am clearly the best qualified for the role. I am assisted by an executive. I work part time although all of that time is on the role, my Exec works full time, 50% on this and 50% on other things.

We have both been selected as 'at risk' and had a preliminary discussion meeting as part of the consultation. We were given broad criteria headings and asked to comment by Friday, scoring to take place after Christmas.

I disclosed my pregnancy at the meeting and offered my maternity leave as an alternative solution, suggesting we defer the decision as the situation/other opportunities etc may be very different by next year. My Exec then covers the maternity leave.

After the meeting they suddenly decided we need to respond to selection criteria by the morning (less than 24 hours)

I have not yet had minutes of meeting despite being promised them

They could not clarify which role 'exec' or 'manager' is being made redundant said it was 'streamlining of resource ' on the service. I have had no job description for the remaining position - I want to know what that position is.

I am planning to e-mail in the morning and say I am unable to respond to the criteria as I have not had minutes to promp me, nor had a job description to know which 'skills' should be assessed.

I have had no response to my alternative suggestion although they promise to give it serious consideration.

Why have they suddenly sped this up? the person who was supposed to be scoring is on holiday anyway and I can't see what has prompted this or how anyone benefits.

AmI wise in delaying my response to the selection criteria, can they go ahead without it?

Many thanks for any help

Thank you for your message although I am sorry to hear about the redundancy situation that you are faced with.

Can you tell me a little more about the redundancy? Has your employer disclosed the reason for the redundancy? e.g. Is the job/s that you are employed to do ceased, or will be ceasing?

It sounds as though your employer has identified you and your executive as the “pool of employees” whereby one or both of you may be selected for redundancy. What you employer is required to do is identify a selection criteria to apply consistently to you both to select for redundancy. The criteria has to be objective, fair and non-discriminate which means that selection due to reasons associated with pregnancy/maternity will automatically be unfair..

I am not too sure what you mean by “we were given broad headings and asked to comment by Friday, scoring to take place after Christmas”. Can you explain this to me? I don’t want to jump the gun but I presume that you are talking about questions which will be used as part of the selection criteria for redundancy. Is this an interview? A test?

I would advise that you contact your employer and ask for details of the selection criteria which they are using to select for redundancy. Your employer can use criteria including length of service, skills and aptitude, attendance and disciplinary records etc.

If you could reply to my questions above, I will reply asap.

Hello and many thanks for your response.

The reasons for redunancy are that we are funded by member subs, which are being reduced. Three are going from my dept and they need to streamline funding.

The broad headings I have been asked to comment on are indeed part of the skills template which forms the criteria that we will be scored upon. There are 6 headings including skills, job knowledge, attendance etc and there will eb sub headings dependant on the department it is being used for.. they are still working on these and I assume my comments will go towards this.

I have asked for a job description for the role that will be left... it is bascially MY job description as manager of the service. SO I am unsure how they can tell me my role is at risk.

It is therefore between myself as manager of the service who works 4 hrs a day and my colleage who is the Exec and works 50% of her time (full time employed) on the service. It is not a job share although we do alot of the same things day to day I am the one ultimately to drive strategy, sort problems etc.

Can they decide to make my role full time, therefore making my role as it stands at them moment redundant? and if I do not agree to up my hours to full time (which they know I can't) legitimately make me redundant and make my colleague's role then 100% on the service and effectively the manager?