Fixed term worker & voluntary redundancy eligibility??

Hi guys,

I would really appreciate your help on this. I have been working for a particular Irish company since June 2004 on successive fixed term contracts of 3-9 months duration. My contracts have never been broken so I have over five years continuous service. For the past two and a half years I have been job-sharing with a permanent employee on a full time roster line. Because of all of this and my interpretation of the Fixed Term Workers Act, I believe that I should now be on a contract of indefinite duration - I can't see any objective grounds for me being kept on a fixed term contract as I am sharing a permanent roster line with a permanent employee.

Earlier this year I wrote to my HR manager about this and she fobbed me off to my department manager who then totally ignored my emails. After that, I was told by other employees not to rock the boat because the company is in a precarious financial position. So I just signed my new fixed term contract and said no more about it.

Now the company is offering voluntary redundancy packages as part of its cost cutting plan and I would love to get one, but I have been told by some fellow staff members that I won't be eligible to apply because I am not a permanent employee. To me this is completely wrong because as far as I can see in the eyes of the law I would now be considered to be on a contract of indefinite duration, i.e. permanent. Can anyone give me any more insight into this situation? Also please feel free to contradict me and explain to me why I'm not entitled to apply for this redundancy package!

Hi

Once you have been working in the company for more than two years - and have been on roll-over contracts that have not been broken, you are entitled to receive statutory redundancy just like the rest of the employees. I'd contact the department of trade enterprise and employment as they have good info leaflets that fully explain your entitlements. Good luck.