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So I'm probably going to be made redundant

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  • So I'm probably going to be made redundant

    BG
    Our parent company put themselves up for sale in order to exapand late last year and finalised a deal with one of the two remaining contenders meaning we moved over to the new company in May or there abouts.
    A few departments were doomed as they already had pay roll HR etc things like businesses especially a large one like our new lot.
    We were 50/50 depending on which of the two took us over, one dealt with volume catering and saw us as a distribution centre if nothing else, thing is we had won contracts from them as their food was deemed crap or words to that effect.

    So the one with no catering arm whatsoever takes us over, we are relieved, jobs secured, future bright, hell a chance to expand and we did, we got two new drops soon after, but we might have been doing that before anything was sorted between our old and new owners.

    end BG

    A few months agp loosing company having the same access rights to our company info as a whole, talks to the winning one and offers to undercut us even though alot of our existing contracts used to be theirs and they left due to the lack of quality, they start making deals (nothing finalised).

    We get a meeting organised by our department head telling us of this underhand shenanigans, but nothing is certain and that loosing customers to us might be a red flag to them in the deal.
    I was off for another meeting held by the MD of the UK or whole company (I don't know), this one was called as the others and word on the grapevine were inconclusive and oftimes conflicting.
    I asked what the out come was and for each person asked I got a different answer, so much for clearing up the confusion the waters are muddier than ever, but most felt we would be a skeleton crew of a distribution hub and nothing else.

    We had a more recent meeting and our dept head said that he felt we would close by end of January just short of my full 9th year working there full time (some had worked longer but started off as agency so that time would not count).
    The loosing company is willing to address customer concerns re quality and other issues and if most of our customers still reject their new and improved food, they might still go ahead as what we have although being our whole business to us, is small fries to both of the companies.
    He is pretty sure 95% I think his number was, that we had no chance of continuing as we are, even if all our customers rejected the other's food, afaik they would just be told to start offering the contract out to the other's in the field.

    TBH I'm not really worried, yes I will be out of a job, but as long as I don't quit or get fired between now and the close of business, I get 8 years of redundancy, again almost 9 years there but I won't even get fractions of the 9th.
    We all (or atleast those I've spoken to) agree that they should sort it out asap and close us before christmas, so we could have a decent chrimbo off for a change, I have worked most if not all christmas days since starting there and no one gets a chance to book leave over the holidays.
    The kitchen staff are the only ones not to work on the 25th as we close the kitchen then and on the 1st, but they have to work extra hours to get a day ahead in production, this year due to the extra contracts we have, have very little space to work with to do it this way, so we probably will be working as if it was a normal day (going home at 10pm for the evening pickers).

    My biggest concern is "What if they don't close us?" I have already started making plans to go back to school, I left failing most of my exams due to a shitty 3rd-5th year when I changed schools and I would like to take some day/night classes in digital video, but the one ive seen seems to be getting in the industry where as I just want to "get better at it than point and shoot" and tbh the redundancy money is already being mentally spent on a decent video PC and camcorder (as well as putting down 6 months rent in advance.
    and 9 years in a fridge as a one trick pony, my job skills probably limit me to just pushing shopping carts around as being a University city, people like applicants to have letters after their names for anything over uncomplicated.

  • #2
    I don't know whether to hope you stay in business or that you don't, and "may it work out for the best, whatever that may be" is awfully weak, but here goes anyway.
    "My in-laws are country people and at night you can hear their distinctive howl."

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    • #3
      TBH I and others hope we close before christmas, why delay the inevitable is how we see it. Even if our customers dislike the new food they can be told to look else where, so the threat of a mass exodus is not seen as a job saviour.

      I like others have already kinda made plans for what we would do with the money, just as well our T&C migrated or we would have nothing starting the clock at may, if that was the case alot of us would have no incentive to stay just like our agency workers, three of whom we've lost just before and after the latest news, well more than three I'm sure, but these three sometimes work in my department and that has resulted in me doing extra hours or like today comming in, but id rather have the extra money than a trip into town.

      It's hard to look for a job right now, A> it's mostly seasonal. B> telling a potential employer you cannot start untill feb/march kinda feels like you are wasting everyones time.
      I might be the best fit for the job, but they wont keep it open that long, nor will that job be on offer when I am unemployed.

      Plus I need to get myself some dentures, I had the extractions done 3 years ago now I think, but as I got too many call in's I never got round to finalising the last few steps, but hey I can still eat a steak with whats left in there, but a potential employer might not like a gummy smile and think the worst of how I lost my teeth ie drugs, even though that is not the case.

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      • #4
        An internal memo was meant to be distributed among (full time) staff regarding the workshop with the other company and our customers, the memo stack thus far has stayed on a desk, but I took my copy.

        It read that the trials of new and improved recipies etc was well recieved and there would be another in November (same company or a 2nd bidder I don't know) and that they were behind schedule on the paperwork etc, but still expected things to be going ahead for late January.

        Speaking with one of the office women who came in over the weekend (it was her turn to do a stint) she said she was there for the first one and it wasn't as glowing as the letter made out, more settling for this with little options till renewal time.

        Also on our (don't take any) notice board and in the office where I broght it up, is an airial shot of our location, it and the other buildings are earmarked by the land owner for redevelopment and have been for aparantly three years.
        If we were not being closed down due to the buyout, we would be closing due to relocation at some point and this way I am guaranteed redundancy, whereas I may not if I fall within the legal relocation threshold, but as a cyclist, it may be too far.

        If I drove or rode a motorbike/moped it would not be an issue if we moved to say Cambourne, I've been told thats 9 miles away, I have no idea how long it would take to cycle that distance especially if I had to start at 5am, any late finish shifts followed by an early might as well involve me and a sleeping bag.

        But I had also decided to add moped lessons to my what to do with 2013 list, I may apply for the new distribution centre after we close and if its too far now, it wont be with faster transportation.

        Also the centre will be run via company B on behalf of A, so there is no issue with me being made reduntant from A to then go back to working for A, it would be like leaving Tesco to work at Asda, same but different.

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        • #5
          Update time

          I could have updated this sooner, but TBH I don't think anyone outside of me really cares

          The date slipped to late Feb/March some time last year as they had not decided on a location for the distribution centre and in the end it would be packed at customer level in Wales where it is produced then sent to the central hub and divvied out to the drivers, so even if I could get to their location there would not be a job for me to apply for.

          Boss lady said that they might end up not having a base sorted out in time and would park the vans back to back to load up, which they actually are doing (in our bloody loading bay geting in our way each morning, fuck off to the 24 hour tesco carpark down the road for that shite thankyouverymuch)

          Christmas came and went and thankfully so did some co-irkers both the tweedles who were dead slow and caused me to stay later than I'd like doing the lions share (even worse when it would be me and both of them not just one and a 3rd), the guy from the how rude thread went back home a week or so ago and I thought the woman did too but she was back today as it was just a holiday, why it couldn't wait till march is beyond me unless it was a family crisis type thing ... saying anything other than hello would be pushing it as she's still on my "wouldnt piss on you if you were on fire" list and I don't want to get into disaplinary issues this close to the end by saying something like that, the guy would have to improve his standing to even make it onto that list.

          We lost one drop (that was part of my block) a few weeks ago and as the driver only did that route (we had a habit of one trick ponying the drivers on some routes) his last delivery was also his last day, but I was told he joined (sill with the agency) the new company and aparantly lasted a week, they have also hired Captain Dickhead as he used to work on some of the routes before he left (and long before we took on most of the ones going first)

          Some of the drivers are stuffed, the fleet they have are all larger lorry's and not all of em have valid licences, I asked one if they were taking on more drops.
          Nope exact same drop in a larger van.
          "Isn't that like having a double decker bus to service a village instead of a 12 seater?" I asked
          We later lost another route (iir it was a week to the day of the last one) and lost an evening picker from the other room, mind you the guy scheduled was becoming ever more flakey, he had a 'job interview' on a Friday which was 'rude guy's' last day, he was meant to start at 12:30 cos of it but showed up at 13:30, went straight on lunch and went home sick a few hours later. Work tried to get hold of him over the weekend to find out the score (cos he should contact us by a set time or not show up the next day due to being automatically 'still too ill') no dice, so the manager left a message saying don't bother comming back, he called back 5 minutes later saying he was feeling better, but too late his name is tipex.

          3 of our full time drivers are migrating over, one had his last day today, but he has not been given official conformation that he does indeed start or when, so he may still be back with us next week till they get their thumb out of their arse and officially hire him.



          Late Jan we had our one to one meetings with HR saying what we would be getting, more concrete info vs the 3rd party hearsay of the manager meeting as he freely admitted alot of things were out of his hands and some had not been decided upon so we could ask any questions we liked, he just couldnt answer them.

          We get one month pay per year served, but this is not divided up into year and a half measurements and as I was creeping towards my 9th year I would be miffed at loosing out on a month's money due to a few days.

          We would be given our notice towards the begining of March and would obviously not be expected to work it out after the doors shut
          Also we would be getting a week per year notice payment upto 12 years service, so I would be looking at 10 months wages if I only qualified for the 8 year mark.

          I found out between my 1 2 1 and the next session at the end of the week when I started (10th March) and managed to ask the guy where I stood, there would be some leeway of about a week, so I might get 9 or I might still get 8, but if I started later in march I would be sol.
          We had another group meeting with one of the HR guys and were given letters stating our packages, mine when divided by the basic came to 9 I was happy.

          My start date was 10/03/2004 and my finish is aprox 02/03/2013, I will get my full 9 years package, but I did say to boss lady I would do any shitty odd jobs for enough days to get the 9th if it turned out I was only on 8, hell for 1800 no tax, I would lick bricks for a few hours.

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          • #6
            If you have to lose a job, getting ten months' pay at the end is a pretty good way to do it!
            "My in-laws are country people and at night you can hear their distinctive howl."

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            • #7
              true, better than the statutory minimum of one weeks wage per year, if that were the case I would not be fussed about that one final year

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