Voluntary Redundancy Package: eligibility for JB

Staff in my department have been asked by HR Dept. to consider availing of the companies Voluntary Severance Scheme as they are considering outsourcing the departments functions in full or partially. If we stay they can't say for sure what will happen us.

My question is if we apply for this scheme under these circumstances will we then be able to claim JB from week 1 or will we have to wait 9 weeks i.e will the reason we left employment be considered purely "voluntary" or will it be considered as "not voluntary" .

If you voluntarily leave, 9 weeks

I took voluntary redundancy in december, I had known about it for over a year and was paid the JB from my finish date. It depends what your company puts down on the rp50 form. Mines stated restructuring of the company, I was never asked was it voluntary and there are no options for ticking voluntary redundancy on any of the forms that the social welfare give you to fill out. There is a possibility of being disqualified from claiming for a number of weeks depending on how much of a redundancy payment you receive.

Trish, exactly what I thought as in the DSFA take the employers explanation as to why we left as the cue for deciding whether the claim should be considered as voluntary or not. I believe if your employer puts down on the RP50 form that you left due to "restructuring" then I would assume DSFA would rightly interpret this as "conclusively involuntary".

I think I need to check what our HR Dept. intends to put on the RP50 form and that will hopefully answer my question.