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[tadorna]

I have been made 'provisionally redundant'.

What this means in reality is that they couldn't decide between me and my friend who sits next to me, who works with me on a lot of the same stuff, and who I've known for years and worked with in two different jobs. So they've invited us both to a meeting on Friday where we will fight for their entertainment. Or something. We're supposed to think of alternative solutions and 'discuss how to decide'.

We are the only designers who've been affected, by the looks of it. I think management wanted to choose four (higher-paid) subeditors, but they threw us to the lions to appease the union (who couldn't give a stuff about us and have resented us for months).

Fuckheads. I can't think how they could have made it worse.

Comments

[lazulus]

Fuck. That is a dreadful way to treat you both. It's an utterly untenable position for you to be in and I am so sorry you are having to go through this.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

I know, what wankers, eh? Thanks, Jaq. x

[lauramcewan.livejournal.com]

Oh, no. I'm so sorry!! :(

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :) I may have to borrow Hutch's gun there...

[justwolf.livejournal.com]

Fuck. That's absolutely ridiculous. I'm so sorry.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Thanks, m'lovely. <3

[almostnever.livejournal.com]

That completely blows. I'm sorry!

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Rubbish, innit? :( Thank you!

[mirabile-dictu.livejournal.com]

I am really sorry -- that is a hideous position to put you in. Really, management should be ashamed.

What about job sharing? Is that at all a possibility? Maybe 5/8ths for each of you? Try for 3/4 for each and then drop to 5/8?

Just brainstorming. I hope something better than this happens.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Thanks, and yeah - not a bad idea. I'm not sure she'd be able to afford it though - I might be ok, but she's got a mortgage and I think she'd find it difficult. I'll definitely discuss it with her tomorrow though. Cheers - really appreciate the input! :)

[anatsuno.livejournal.com]

Oh shit. Fuck! What cruel utter dweebs. I'm really sorry. :/

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Aren't they? Bah! Thank you. x

[galactic-jack.livejournal.com]

Oh shit it Julia. just what the fuckbus are they doing? You'd think they'd have got their shit in order ages ago. Ongoing nightmare doesn't seem to cover it.

We're around for (attempted) comedy relief if so choose you.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

I know - the whole things been a complete circus, and they saved the best for last! Thankee, I may be taking you up on the comic relief! x

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

That's really sadistic. Pfeh.

I think they want one of you to bravely resign so as to save them the pain of actually making the decision.

I'm so sorry.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Yep, they're too lazy and cowardly even to do that, so they've pushed it back onto us. Unbelievable, really. Well, we won't be making it easy for them...

Thank you.

[tvillingar.livejournal.com]

That's... like going back in time to see which gladiator kills the other one. Bastards. No one can convince me making people go through this shit is necessary.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

I know, it's like cock-fighting or something! Awful. They've fucked this whole thing up so badly it's almost funny.

[sarcasticmissy.livejournal.com]

That whole situation really sucks *hugs*

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

It really does! :( Thank you. :)

[rebism.livejournal.com]

We're supposed to think of alternative solutions and 'discuss how to decide'.

Fuck off, that's their job. There is NO WAY hiring and firing decisions can be outsourced from management to the employees affected. That's bullshit. Talk to your friend, agree on how totally inappropriate it is, and go in with a united front saying "it is totally not our job to do your decision making for you. We are not going to resign, if you want to let one of us go, that's your decision".

That's ridiculous. I consider it so ridiculous that I'm also going to recommend calling your ombudsman or legal aid or something and getting some free advice on just how much they're totally not allowed to do that, so you can go in with proper sentences to use against them.

In other news, I am sorry for you both. Shit situation. But god, don't let them push this onto you - this is totally not your decision to make!
x

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

No, you're absolutely right - we won't be making this easy for them. I don't know how it'll play out, but I don't think we'll even consider attempting to help them decide. If they couldn't choose between us, I don't see how we're supposed to! Hopefully we'll be able to challenge the idea that we're the ones who ought to go at all. Hopefully tomorrow we may get some idea of the best way to approach it.

Thank you, this is all very helpful!

[hobbituk.livejournal.com]

Well, that's just pants. How outrageous! It's bad enough to make people redundant, but to make them decide who is to go themselves... I have no words.

I think you should be a united front, too. But jobs are scarce and someone with a mortgage is not likely to stand fast, so please, watch your back!

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's true... but if I had to be in this situation, I'm glad it's with this person -- she's got a loyal streak and a stubborn one! I can think of not a few people who I know would throw me under the bus without a second thought. Hopefully, we'll find a way to challenge the idea that we should be the people in this situation at all. It doesn't make much sense really. Either way, we're definitely not playing their game!

Thank you.

[blythely.livejournal.com]

What utter wankers. I hope you both sit there and stubbornly refuse to have any "solutions" for your crap employers.

Am so sorry Duckie.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Yep, I think that's the plan at the moment!

Thanks, m'dear. x

[ia-ne.livejournal.com]

I agree with everyone else who said that it's ridiculous and sadistic that they are trying to make you come up with solutions. Fuck them and their total refusal to make any kind of grown-up decision.

*hugs*

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Yep, it's pretty disgusting, I think. Thank you - it's really great to have everyone's support on here. :)

[elouisa.livejournal.com]

Oh good christ.. *hugs you tight* What a fucking horrible situation they've put you in. What sort of organisation do you work for that has you making that sort of decision about your own jobs? I'm so sorry honey. xx

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

I know, well we were aware they didn't care hugely about us... but this is beyond the pale, really. I dunno...

Thank you.

[damson.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry m'dear. That's incredibly shitty of them to do.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

I know. :( Thanks, m'love. :)

[lapin-agile.livejournal.com]

Oh, love. That's horrible.

The one thing that strikes me is that they seem to not want to make either of you redundant or they'd have done it.

The very idea that they want to have a meeting with you (both) to discuss ways around it (is UTTERLY APPALLING and the solution is that you ought to have their jobs which they are clear shit at) suggests that they haven't completely made up their minds. I take it that you are paid less than the union staff? So they'd save much more by letting one of those folks go. Of course, I've no idea what rules in the union contract are tying management's hands here.

I'm so sorry. Just ugh!

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's such a convoluted mess!

Basically, first off they were going to put us and the subeditors in one big pool, score us all on the same criteria, and let the lowest scorers go.
Then the subs complained that we have different skills, so should be scored with different criteria. So they they split the pools and said they'd be doing this.

Then management put forward a proposal to take all four jobs from the subs' pool. When they told us, they made it sound like this decision had been reached and we were safe.

The union put forward a counter-proposal on behalf of the subs, saying that the subs were better qualified than us, and all the jobs should go from our pool. Their second proposal was that we should go back to being scored from our seperate pools.

After much fannying about, management said on Thursday that they'd agreed to go with the second proposal, and the scoring took place on Friday. Apparently, A and I were among the lowest scorers, and therefore have to be let go.

I think they felt, for some reason, that they needed to appease the union by not making all the redundancies subs. But they're never going to admit to that...

Argh! Sorry, that was long!

Berkshire hunts.

[lugna-vatten.livejournal.com]

And other cockney rhymes.

That's bloody awful.

They'll get their comeuppance eventually.

Hugs.

Re: Berkshire hunts.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I know you know how it feels!

We'll see them in hell, I hope, and get to poke them with sticks.

[clara-posts.livejournal.com]

Ugh, no! That absolutely sucks. What a horrible way to do it. Complete crap.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Yeah, it really does. :(

[blimmy.livejournal.com]

what the fucking fuck? that's awful! truly awful.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Takes the biscuit, doesn't it? :(

[bunnysquee.livejournal.com]

i would go with what rebism said and try to fight for your job! and don't resign no matter what lines they feed you - i don't know how it works where you are, but here we cannot collect unemployment if we resign, only if we're fired or downsized ...

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Oh, don't worry, we won't be resigning! I don't think they really expect us to, to be honest, they just want us to give them some reason to pick one of us. Or offer to jobshare or something, I dunno... And yeah, same here, we can get Jobseeker's Allowance if we're made redunant etc, not if we resign.

[msilverstar]

That's outrageous. the word FUCK comes to mind. I mean, THIS IS WRONG. There's even research that shows that flexibility works better than wholesale layoffs: http://www.bus.umich.edu/NewsRoom/ArticleDisplay.asp?news_id=3886

assholes.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Interesting link, thanks. Maybe I'll print it out and take it with me. :) Unfortunately they seem pretty much sold on this redundancy thing - ever since the new MD came in he's been laying people off left right and centre.

I guess we'll just see what we can do to fight it, but I'm not holding out much hope at the moment. :(

[vixalicious]

Oh, Jeebus. That sucks monkeys, sweetie, I'm so sorry.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

I know. Big monkeys, eh? Thanks, vix.

[shirecreature.livejournal.com]

What if you both just say nahhthing...

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

We're either going to say nahhthing... or everything.

[vensre.livejournal.com]

Urgh, horrible. It's like some kind of wretched mind game. May the people whose idea that was get what's coming to them very soon. :<

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

I hope so! Thanks, dear.