People been taken into the office at work .. in front of all other staff as iti sopen plan and told whether they have a job or not. Three people have come out hysterically crying and one had to have an ambulance called.
My time is at 3 :30 today

I am comforted by the knowledge that we are all in this together and feel certain that the privately educated millionaires who made this decision are also experiencing the same dis/stress levels as many public sector workers.

Really sh1t day at work and possibly the last

That sucks. Keep your chin up mate. We're all in this together taking George's marvellous medicine because the Condems don't really understand economics

8 out of 28 redundencies announced yesterday at the company I am doing some work for. Glad I finish Friday

I feel for you. We had a email on a Friday three weeks ago from our new MD with the word 'Downsizing' in it. Within a week a third of the staff had gone. Those of us left picking up the pieces have had no further communication from the MD and have no idea where the business is going just now.

🙁

Sucks dude. Hope it goes well for you – it's a shitty day when job losses are announced – and only the truly selfish feel good when they escape and others don't.

Chin up and the rest…

Sorry to hear that mate , got made redundant myself last thursday ( 1st july) .. only just got back from the job center after my job seekers interview !!
£65 a week FFS !!

all the best for this afternoon

Good luck fella.

Redundancy has the potential to devastate lives (I know, it happened to me) and should only be used as a LAST resort. However in more and more cases it is becoming an accepted business tool for covering up budget shortfalls caused by incompetent management.

Good luck to anyone affected.

I thought it was all Bratchers fault? It is Clegg's turn already?

Good luck tho'

sorry to here that, hope you find another soon.

i have to agree totally with coyote above

However in more and more cases it is becoming an accepted business tool for covering up budget shortfalls caused by incompetent management.

w*nkers!!!!

WE have a full team meeting on Tursday. I'm having to cut a days leave (and a bike ride) short for it. It's only the second one that's ever been called in all the time I've been here and as I work in the public sector, I'm not expecting good news.

Having said that, given they'll still want to same amount of work done by and already overstretched department, I'm not sure whether I want to be one of the lucky ones or the unlucky ones if you know what I mean.

Redundancy has the potential to devastate lives (I know, it happened to me) and should only be used as a LAST resort. However in more and more cases it is becoming an accepted business tool for covering up budget shortfalls caused by incompetent management.

Exactly the scenario for me as well. 🙁
OP: best of luck!

I've got my second and final (probably) redundancy meeting today. Luckily i'd been with the company for 2years and 1 day when I was notified so at least i'll come out with a little extra.

Good luck! It's shit, but you never know something good may come of it..

tbh I would fare better than some at risk what with a bitter on going divorce , court case for access to my kids [which would mean I get legal aid if no job]and no mortgage to pay I won’t be the worst affected by this.
Ah well off to Lakes and riding the High Street tomorrow so not all bad 8)

Three people have come out hysterically crying and one had to have an ambulance called.

That's horrendous – why did they react so badly?
We've just lost 20 people and I don't think any were hit that badly by the news.

Three people have come out hysterically crying and one had to have an ambulance called

You what? FFS it's a job. Get real.

I keep volunteering to go, but they won't make me redundant…..

don't know Dez forgot to ask them why they were reacting like that at the time …it seemed a bit inappropriate even for me

Yes I am sure the inability to pay their mortgage will fade into insignificance if I just fwd your message PP

1.5 years ago we all took 10 or 20% cuts in pay and some on 2,3 or 4 day weeks as measures to avoid redundancies…

think the public sector should do the same rather than just a freeze

oh yes top marks to haringey and croydon councils for giving their leaders a pay rise

I've got to make someone redundant in a few hours time. I'm really not looking forward to it in the slightest, because it's happened to me before and I know the consequences. I've been wound up all day and am finding it hard to concentrate.

I accept that it has to be done, but I know and like the guy, and know that it's going to severely impact him and his family. He'll not be able to get another job for anything like the same pay in the near future.

Sadly, we're going to see a lot more of this in the near future.

rootes most of the public sector have been on 10-20% less than the private sector for years

My sister was made redundant a little while ago. She edited a magazine which was making money but they decided it was time to make some cuts… and she was one of them. A far less experienced and therefore cheaper person to employ, was "promoted" in her place… and then went straight onto maternity leave. She didn't even sit down at her desk for one day! Anyway, she (big sis) went for an interview at the Job Centre the other day, to be told by a young girl that her job skills as an editor were transferrable and she had a job for her as an assistant cleaner at a bookies. When asked how 30 years in journalism exactly qualified her for this post the girl broke down in tears. The stress of the job apparently. Anyway, the offer was politely declined and I think she is starting a new business. No idea what the girl at the job centre is up to.

One way or another, it must be tough for everyone waiting to find out if they have a job or not. Fingers crossed guys. I'd say treat it as an opportunity but it isn't really is it? 🙁

rootes most of the public sector have been on 10-20% less than the private sector for years

but the hours, pension, flexible working and conditions are better to compensate – i know i used to work in the public sector

my point is i think less pay is a better option than no pay given the option…

I've been through 3 redundancy 'consultations' in the past 18 months, and it gets grimmer each time. Fully expecting another one before the year is out as we have lots of major public sector clients.

The irony is that we're mad busy and a lot of people are working 60 hour weeks 'cos we don't have the staff, and the attitude of the directors has pretty much been 'think yourself lucky you still have a job'. Many are now wishing they didn't!

He'll not be able to get another job for anything like the same pay in the near future.

Sadly, we're going to see a lot more of this in the near future.

In that case, I am SO FAR ahead of the future… 😕

Sad to hear that Woppit – been there myself.

firestarter – Member
rootes most of the public sector have been on 10-20% less than the private sector for years

Have you been living in a vaccuum for the past 10 years?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/7835366/Public-sector-pay-conditions-outstrip-private-sector-report-says.html

Three people have come out hysterically crying and one had to have an ambulance called.

That's horrendous – why did they react so badly?
We've just lost 20 people and I don't think any were hit that badly by the news.

They were the ones that had to stay?!!

i'm getting made redundant after < 1 year in my current job! Only joined after the previous company started to go bust after the downturn.
Prior to this i got made redundant after outsourcing!

Find it all really really depressing. 10 years i've been working, and got nowhere.

Some people, mostly the older guys who've paid off their mortgages, seem quite happy about it though. I can't get a mortgage to start paying off however…

edit i'll delete that druid as its off topic but i disagree

don't know Dez forgot to ask them why they were reacting like that at the time …it seemed a bit inappropriate even for me

Just thought there might be some circumstances that caused this (eg. no redundancy pay, er…um.. can't think of anything else!). Sorry to have asked!

Yes I am sure the inability to pay their mortgage will fade into insignificance if I just fwd your message PP

No point getting worked up about it though. Getting hysterical is pointless. I took a 20%-ish pay cut this week.
What's the worst that can happen? Sell/Loose the house, go rent somewhere.
If you've stretched yourself too far financially, that's down to you. We could probably survive on half our present income and still keep the house, but we'd have to ditch the car, holidays, TV, mobile phones etc. We've both beeen under threat of possible redundancy for a couple of years now, so we made sure we didn't waste money, we paid off all loans and cut the mortage payment down. We could now survive 6 months with no income at all. Get a low paid job doing anything and stretch that to a year. It's not usually that hard to see redundancy coming, but people are scared because they won't cut back. Because they'll loose their lifestyle and flash car etc. They just stick their head in the sand.

No, it's not good, but worse things happen at sea.

Like I say, I keep asking, but I doubt I'll be that lucky. With a few grand in my pocket I could justify taking a lower paid job that I'd like to do, rather than earning more and being bored stupid like I am now. There's plenty jobs out there, if you're not proud. I've turned 2 down recently that I'd have taken if I was redundant, and enjoyed doing…..

Shit. Best of luck Johnnie mate. Got everything crossed for you.

Enjoy High Street no matter what, and make sure you take your chain.

car, holidays, TV, mobile phones

I think you have slightly over simplified the situation others find themselves in, for some these items are their hobbies. Imagine having no access to a push bike for say a year, you'd soon become quite upset.

There's plenty jobs out there,

It's easy to say get a job in Mcdonalds etc, but often people get turned down due to being over qualified as they know the person the employee will jump ship ASAP.

druidh – Member

firestarter – Member
rootes most of the public sector have been on 10-20% less than the private sector for years

Have you been living in a vaccuum for the past 10 years?

Druidh – we have done this before. its not comparing like with like – for similarly qualified and experienced people public sector pay is lower.

Those figures are skewed by including unskilled labour. The private sector has much more unskilled labour on low wages.

Have you been living in a vaccuum for the past 10 years?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/7835366/Public-sector-pay-conditions-outstrip-private-sector-report-says.html

Although if you look at jobs you need degree level qualifications for, I bet it is a bit different, I know I took a roughly £15,000 pay cut, plus spent 3 years doing a PhD, to move to my (more interesting) job in the public sector. Oh and as for job security – I'm a lucky person in that I am on 1 year contracts, which are renewed based on performance and funding, a lot of people working here are on even shorter project based contracts.

Oh and I don't see it getting better soon, what with 25-40% cuts in university funding in the pipeline thanks to the new government.

Joe

I'm a lucky person in that I am on 1 year contracts, which are renewed based on performance and funding, a lot of people working here are on even shorter project based contracts.

and a lot of other people are on even shorter based contracts in the private sector. Egads!

in response to the OP – if i were being called in for a redundancy meeting i'm not sure i would be on t'internet 😯

(sent from computer at work)

and a lot of other people are on even shorter based contracts in the private sector. Egads!

It is very uncommon for salaried workers to be on <1 year contracts. At least in my industry it is (computer programming / software engineering, whatever you want to call it). Contractors are on short contracts, but then they have massive pay, tax etc. advantages to make up for that. Not that I'd want to do it, it'd be a pain, and boring work, but in private sector contracting at the level of my previous job, I would get roughly 1 month of my current pay in 4 days of contract work, even ignoring the potential tax benefits.

In much of science research work, you essentially get the pay of a quite low paid salaried worker, with the lack of contractual protection of a very well paid contractor.

Joe

Enjoy High Street no matter what, and make sure you take your chain.

😳 😳
A never to be lived down error of gigantic proportions
Dez I was partly joking truth is she is hysterical at the best of times and what we would politely describe as highly strung. I would have bet a lot of money on her being one to go.

in response to the OP – if i were being called in for a redundancy meeting i'm not sure i would be on t'internet

My mate in IT deletes my browsing history daily. I am only just in the top 5 !

As for the survey if you wish to use all the private sector which includes unskilled labour ,and doctors and teachers then yes the later get more money …surprising that isnt it. However there is little difference when you compare like with like such as a cleaner or care worker for a private company or a cleaner /care worker for the public sector. If you look at legal [solicitors /lawyers]or surveying or accountancy or IT for example in the public sector they all average less than in the private sector. So yes you can highly select the stats to prove your view if you wish.

PS they told me they cannot tell me as I amy go hyesterical * and they are posting out the letters
* more taxi driver than crying in my case 😉

double post