Will I loose redundancy if I accept new terms

On 22 February I received a letter from my employer stating that my position as mechanic within the company was being made redundant and that my duties would be contracted out to an outside company. I was invited to suggest a way round this to be heard at a meeting. I replied with a revised work schedule.

I was called into a meeting today to discuss my proposals. I wasn't invited to bring anyone to the meeting. Are they allowed to do this? They have agreed to the suggestions I have made and have stated that my previous position with the company no longer exists and that they are happy to try the new arangements and review the situation in a few months. In the meantime another member of staff has been made redundant. I will be carrying out his duties (driving) as well as my previous duties.

Do I have a trial period for these new duties? if things don't work out can I still claim redundancy?

In the meantime I have been offered another job which appeals to me. If I accept this new job can I claim redundancy from my original employer?

Your advice would be appreciated.

Hi Spanner

If you have accepted an alternative to redundancy which could be consideres a suitable alternative, you should be able to insist on a trial period of 4 weeks or longer if retraining is required (as per section138 of the Employment Rights Act 1996). If you choose to leave during this trial period, you are still entitled to your redundancy payment.

I suggest you get your employer to confirm that you are on this trial period before you then tell them you are leaving.

Regards

Pete