Employment Law Advice (relocation or redundancy)

[eightseventhree]

Sorry for double post

Hi everyone. I have a few questions for the legal eagles on here.

My Wife is cabin crew for large British airline based in the Midlands for also fly's international.

She is based at, lets call it base A.

She received a letter yesterday stating that Base A is 5 crew members over crewed and to save making people redundant they are offering relocation to base B which is 40 miles (ish) away.

As part of the Relocation package they are offering £1000 in "valid receipted items" and if you are waiting for cabin manager promotion (which my wife is) that this would be given to you as they are short of those at base B.

As part of my wifes contract there is a mobility clause which states that if it is required that a base move is needed that adequate relocation costs would be covered.

Now this letter is asking for volunteers to either take this transfer OR go part time. If they do get enough takers they will be utilizing the mobility clause and forcing people to go.

There is no option to commute to base b as her contract also stipulates that she must be within 1 hour of her base of working. Which basically means that if she was to take the move, we would have to move house. As we have just (in the last 4 months) moved house to be closer to her work this is not an option.


My Wife just called after her base Manager called basically saying that she is going to be one of these that is forced, due to her being one of the last lot recruited, as in Last in first out. And if she doesn't take the move or part time then she would be made redundant.

Now i know the company will pay the base minimum redundancy which i have calculated at about 300 quid in total. If she went part time i would want a guarantee that her base would not change from base A.

We can just about afford for her to go part time (which would at least give us some income until she found a new job).

I want to know if this sounds above board and should we seek legal advice about this?

Thanks

Andy

[therealpigdog]

YHM

[eightseventhree]

Thanks

I have replied.

Cheers

Andy

[Deva Link]

Be interested to know the response - it's hard luck, but all sounds quite reasonable, to be honest.

Same thing is happening to a lot of Civil Servants. Local office in say, Crewe, closes and there's a job available but it's in Wigan or Birmingham. Not a feasible commute.

[JustinP1]

It seems about right.

To be frank, compared to a lot of people who are facing a redundancy at the moment, not only keeping your job being chucked a grand and a promotion in return for a longer drive I think a lot of people would rip their employer's arms off.

The new diesel Fiesta does about 74mpg if this helps, and that would be my advice, to work with them.

[Jasper Gilder]

I'd have thought that 40 miles in an hour in the East Midlands was doable - it would then be up to the company to prove it isn't.....

[Deva Link]

Jasper Gilder said:

I'd have thought that 40 miles in an hour in the East Midlands was doable - it would then be up to the company to prove it isn't.....

Is the "1 hour from base" a new / unusual thing? I spoke to BA "hostess" who sat next to me on a shuttle and she was based at Heathrow and lived in Huddersfield, and colleague of mine in South Wales lives next door to a Virgin pilot who is based at Gatwick.

Of course depending on the 2 airports involved, 40 miles could be 2 hours at the wrong time of day.

[sleep envy]

Jasper Gilder said:

I'd have thought that 40 miles in an hour in the East Midlands was doable - it would then be up to the company to prove it isn't.....

my thoughts too

surely with the promotion and costs her take home should be slightly more and any job in this market is worth the extra effort