Unfair redundancy?

[Murt2006]

All,

my wife was just informed today (along with all her office colleagues) that the company were closing the Cork office. The reason given was cost of overheads, this section of the business were told they only made modest profit last year and things have not improved or maybe even gotten worse in 2012. However, when the CEO was queried he said that the existing clients and work would be transferred to the dublin office, and that there was an option for a certain function within the office to transfer up. i.e keep your job but move to dublin. We are not in a position to move (kids/school/my work) to Dublin, as is the case for most the group which this offer would apply to. It is likely that they would be hiring new people in the dublin office to cater for this, (i can only presume the new hires are of equivalent experience/level/qualification).

Correct me if i'm wrong but this doesn't sound like a straight forward redundancy case for at least some of the jobs, i.e. the role/work is not being made redundant.

Also, my wife is only with the company for a year so is not entitled to any redundancy.

any advice on the above would be appreciated!

 

[WindUp]

Redundancy can occur where one of the following things happen:

Your employer ceases to carry on business or ceases to carry on business in the place where you have been employed. (For example, if the firm moves location, this can be a substantial change in your working conditions and may therefore be a reason for redundancy. However if there is a change of ownership under the transfer of undertaking legislation where employees are re-employed with no change to their working conditions then it is not a redundancy situation.)

Your employer's requirements for employees in your category has ceased or diminished

Your employer has decided to carry on the business with fewer or no staff. In deciding whether your employer is continuing the business with fewer or no staff, close members of your employer's family are not taken into account

Your employer has decided to let your work be done in a different manner in future and you are not sufficiently qualified or trained to do the work in the different way

Your employer has decided that your work will in future be done by another person who can do other work as well and you are not sufficiently qualified or trained to do that other work.