# Redundant after 12 years



## cisco (29 Jan 2009)

Yesterday i was informed I was being made redundant after 12 years.
I have not been given anything in writing yet just told verbly
Not really sure of what my rights and entitlements are
Can i claim any tax back from last year?


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## limerick123 (29 Jan 2009)

what has it got to do with last year?


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## gillarosa (29 Jan 2009)

Hi Cisco,
Sorry to hear that, www.redundancy.ie is a great site that will provide any information you need. 2008 tax issues don't apply at all, except as a seperate issue if you needed to claim a rebate for rent / medical expenses / bin charges or any thing else you are entitled to which you can do anyway either on line or by mail, but not associated with the actual redundancy.

Best of luck


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## D8Lady (29 Jan 2009)

Hi Cisco, 

Sorry to hear about that. Have a look at the informaton on redundancy.ie, it should answer most entitlement questions that you have. 

Make sure that you have claimed all of your tax reliefs for last year e.g. medical expenses, bin charges etc. 

I'm guessing that the confirmation of this has come as a shock. Take a few days just to absorb this information, don't make any hard decisions nor take the opportunity to tell the company what you really think of them.

Come back any ask any questions that you want.
Best of luck.


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## D8Lady (29 Jan 2009)

Wow gillarosa!
Great minds think alike.


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## cisco (29 Jan 2009)

Thank you for your reply's, I will take a few days over the weekend then see what I should do


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## limerick123 (29 Jan 2009)

i dont mean to be nosy but looking at ur handle, have you been working in the IT industry?


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## cisco (29 Jan 2009)

Yes been in IT since 1990


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## aetius (29 Jan 2009)

Dublin or Galway and are you a contractor or employee ... 

Emplyees get tax-free redundancy but unfortunately its not possible to claim against taxes opaid in prior years.


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## limerick123 (29 Jan 2009)

cisco - the IT market isnt that bad. you will pick up something if u have good skills


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## gillarosa (29 Jan 2009)

D8Lady said:


> Wow gillarosa!
> Great minds think alike.


 
I know, scary synchronicity!! but of course great minds as you say lol


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## cisco (30 Jan 2009)

I still have not got anything in writing to say im being made redundant.
I was just told last wednesday. Just got my pay check with my P60.
Should i get some formal letter saying im being made redundant?


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## Don_08 (30 Jan 2009)

Well you are entitled to at least €15k in severance payment - so you should get all that.  Was it your P60 or P45 you got?


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## cisco (30 Jan 2009)

it was P60, everyone got P60 its the first pay day of the new year.
I was on contract for a year when i started, i take it thats not included in
my redundancy,so it will b 11 years.
Do they have to tell me in writing that im being made redundant?


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## DubShelley (30 Jan 2009)

cisco said:


> it was P60, everyone got P60 its the first pay day of the new year.
> I was on contract for a year when i started, i take it thats not included in
> my redundancy,so it will b 11 years.
> Do they have to tell me in writing that im being made redundant?


 
Have you looked on redundancy.ie? It states it all very clearly [broken link removed];

An employer is obliged to issue a written notice of redundancy to the employee (Form RP50) and to send a duplicate of the form to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Generally, the minimum period of notice will depend on a person's length of service or the period of notice in the person's contract of employment. The following table lists the minimum period of notice which a person is entitled to receive.

*Length of employment *-----------*Minimum Period of Notice *
Less than 13 weeks ...................Nil 
13 weeks - 2 years ....................1 Week
2 years - 5 years .......................2 Weeks
5 years - 10 years .................... 4 Weeks
10 years - 15 years ................... 6 Weeks
More than 15 years ....................8 Weeks
The employee is entitled to reasonable time-off to look for work during their period of notice.


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## Johnboy45 (30 Jan 2009)

possible reason you haven't anything in writing yet is company still not sure itself of dates of redundancy commencing etc.  We told workers before christmas they were definitely being made redundant after christmas but it took another few weeks to get them finishing dates as we tried to hold on to them as long as possible.  Once you get the correct notice period on the RP50 thats whats important.  Actually, one of the guys who was told he'd be made redundant we were able to hold on to, so that was good new for him.


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## cisco (30 Jan 2009)

Thanks for the info.


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## cisco (4 Feb 2009)

its been a week now since i was told im being made redundant, still nothing in writing or no mention of redundancy payment details or notice peroid.
when is it official, when i sign the form, or from when i was told.


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## artful dodge (4 Feb 2009)

cisco, i may be corrected here but your notice period does not formally start until you have been given an RP50 form, which is both your formal notice of redundancy, plus the confirmation of the statutory redundancy payment due to you.

It sounds to me like you being treated shoddily at best given the lack of formal communication. The length of service is another issue: when you worked your initial year "as a contractor" were you paid by your company or via an agency? If via your company you have a strong case for that initial year to be included in your length of service.

Others above have given good advice, read as much as possible online, there's a lot more there compared to a few years ago.


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## cisco (4 Feb 2009)

thank you artful dodge
when i was a contractor i was paid by the company, no agency.
what im afraid of is when they present the RP50 form it will be dated end of jan. as i am paid monthly.


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## artful dodge (4 Feb 2009)

i really dont think that would be permitted Cisco, although employers try and get away with all sorts. The RP50 form (its on the revenue site) has two date fields that need to be completed - the date of termination, AND the date of notice of termination. Read over what the posters say above regarding minimum notice. Where they are not giving you the required notice the should be paying you in lieu of that notice. Dont worry too much, they owe you at least 15k (tax free) as the Don08 points out, and the market is still strong for experienced IT folks. Follow up with any specific questions you may have, and good luck.


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## cisco (4 Feb 2009)

was just on the phone to NERA National Employment Rights Authority
they say
1 contracting period is not included in my redundancy calculation.

2 employer is only obliged to give me all my details of redundancy payments 2 weeks         
  before termination of my employment.

3 notice period begins once they inform me verbally (nothing written)


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## artful dodge (4 Feb 2009)

hi, glad you got some clarity, although i would dispute point 1, especially if you have p60 records showing you were paid directly by the company, and not via a separate agency. Just because it was called contracting doesnt mean you were not employed by the company. See http://www.entemp.ie/employment/redundancy/faq.htm#faq24

re. point 2, that may be correct with regard to the details of the payment (need to get into work to check) but note you are entitled to a *minimum *of two weeks notice, which increases on a sliding scale per service. For service between 10-15 years you are entitled to 6 weeks notice.

re. point 3, this wasnt my understanding, sorry if i misled you on that, i'll check up on it when i get to work tomorrow.


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## cisco (4 Feb 2009)

thanks to everyone who replied, all the information was most helpful.


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## cisco (24 Feb 2009)

Im still working out my notice, 3 weeks to go
The company had hired contractors to come in and work last weekend.
There are still people working here who could have done the work.
Surely they cant contract work out while letting people go?


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