Redundancies 2022

Frequently Asked Questions

1. If there are enough voluntary redundancies from a programme before July, will all the staff still be made redundant? It looks as if all staff will be made redundant, regardless of the number of ‘voluntary’ redundancies since management prefers to do it this way. There will be jobs to apply for so not everyone formally made redundant will have to leave Roehampton.
2. If I apply for voluntary redundancy, am I committed to taking it? Nothing is binding until you sign the settlement agreement. You can ask for a quote for your redundancy payment without committing to applying for redundancy and you can apply for voluntary redundancy without being bound to accept it if offered.
3. What will happen to my pension? This depends on your next steps. We strongly advise getting in touch with your current scheme to find out your options. If members would find it helpful, UCU could ask our pensions officer to hold an online meeting to address these issues.
4. Can I put some of my redundancy money into my pension? Yes but it has to be done before you leave Roehampton. In both cases, it is often better to use your monthly salary or the payment in lieu of notice as you may well save the tax on the amount you pay in. The two main schemes operate differently, however. For USS members can pay into the defined contribution section. For TPS members ‘buy’ a certain amount of additional pension (for example £250 /year or £500 / year).  The cost of this will vary according to a number of factors so it is important that you ask TPS for a quote.  At this time of year, pension schemes are very busy so it is best to request a quote as soon as possible, even if you do not decide to follow this route.
5. At what stage should you seek legal advice if taking redundancy? Will the Union recommend solicitors? Legal advice should be sought when a settlement agreement has been agreed: the agreement is not lawfully constituted without it.  That advice will, however, be limited to explaining to you the implications of what you are signing. We recommend that you do not send it off for advice until UCU has negotiated any changes that it thinks should be made.  UCU cannot recommend solicitors but we do have the names of firms we use ourselves and which will do the work for the low fee offered by the University.
6. What are the selection criteria for accepting or denying voluntary redundancy applications? We do not know yet what criteria will be used. In our view, the only valid criterion would be that the University cannot spare the individual in which case it is difficult to see how they could subsequently be made redundant. We shall be asking management to explain how they will make decisions and will update these FAQs as soon as management answers our questions.
7. If we decide to apply for voluntary redundancy because we do not want to apply for a “new” role and it is refused, what are our options? Are we entitled to statutory redundancy?  Can they refuse that too?  If someone is refused voluntary redundancy, we would expect that their job will be confirmed as outside the redundancies proposed but we will clarify this with management.  If an employer is making redundancies it cannot refuse to pay statutory redundancy terms except in carefully defined situations: the man ones are if an employee has not worked continuously for the employer for a minimum of two years or if suitable alternative employment is offered and rejected. If you are a UCU member, please get in touch if you have further questions about this. Statutory redundancy terms are not particularly generous (the maximum is £17,130).  You can find a calculator here: https://www.gov.uk/calculate-your-redundancy-pay/y
8. What are the proposals for members of staff who are not successful in their applications for the new, fewer, positions and will therefore be made redundant? We understand that people who apply for new positions but do not get one will be made redundant at the end of August. They will receive statutory terms plus pay in lieu of 3 months’ notice (4 for professors) and they will be paid for any outstanding leave.  The latter two payments will be subject to deductions for tax and NI. In theory these people will be eligible to apply for other posts in the University in order to avoid redundancy but there will be very little time for this process. If, however, they are successful in obtaining another post, they would not then be paid the redundancy package.
9. Will there be a redundancy package for those unsuccessful in applying for new positions? If so, what does this consist of? The package for those who do not apply for voluntary redundancy before 24 June will be statutory redundancy (calculated here: https://www.gov.uk/calculate-your-redundancy-pay/y) plus the equivalent of three months’ pay and pay for any outstanding leave. The latter two payments will be subject to deductions for tax and NI.

10. We heard about the reasons for the proposed redundancies, but we haven’t heard about ways of avoiding or reducing them.
11. Structured Victimisation – It seems that certain FTEs outside of the leader and manager group in the School of Education have not received redundancy letters on Tuesday which seems to be a personal rather than a professional decision. It feels as if decisions have made that do not apply the criteria for redundancy. Is it the case there is a ‘hit list’ with colleagues who have already been covertly chosen for voluntary or compulsory redundancy?
12. The VC’s email did not mention the possible reorganisation of senior management to cut costs. This university seems top heavy with senior managers on high salaries.

FAQs update 1 July 2022

13. The university FAQs say “Final decisions [about VR] will be made at the end of the consultation period and this is when formal offers of voluntary redundancy would be communicated”. If staff receive their VR settlement before response to the consultation has been published on 18th July, should they wait to seek legal advice/sign in case there are changes to the Business Plans? How should they respond if the university asks them to complete the process earlier?  Members should wait until the final business plans are published before signing their settlement agreements as it is always possible for changes to be made. Once a settlement agreement has been signed, it takes effect immediately so members will no longer be able to change their minds.

14. Is there any update to the situation described in UCU Roehampton FAQ no 5 quoted below:

“At what stage should you seek legal advice if taking redundancy? Will the Union recommend solicitors? Legal advice should be sought when a settlement agreement has been agreed: the agreement is not lawfully constituted without it.  That advice will, however, be limited to explaining to you the implications of what you are signing. We recommend that you do not send it off for advice until UCU has negotiated any changes that it thinks should be made.  UCU cannot recommend solicitors but we do have the names of firms we use ourselves and which will do the work for the low fee offered by the University”.  This advice has not changed.

15. Has UCU negotiated any changes to the general settlement? UCU is currently negotiating some changes to the template settlement agreement.  We believe that they will be agreed fairly soon and we will amend this question once those changes have been made. Until then, we do not recommend taking advice or signing anything.

16. How will these adjustments be communicated to staff? The changes will be incorporated into settlement agreements sent out to staff.  UCU reps will be able to check for you if you are not certain.

17. Will they be communicated by UCU or the University? See above

18. Should staff be checking for these changes themselves or will this form part of the legal advice? If you think that you have received a settlement agreement without the changes, please check with a UCU rep before taking legal advice.

19. Will the names of the legal firms be published on the UCU Roehampton website or should members write to the UCU address individually? We will post the names of firms we use – though this is not a formal recommendation – on the website.  Thompsons, however, asks for a formal referral so if you would like to use them, please email the UCU Roehampton email address and ask for a referral.

20. Should members seek any other advice from UCU upon receiving their settlement or proceed individually? If members are happy with the terms of their settlement and are confident that they have received the amended agreement, there is no need to check with UCU although we would be grateful if you could let us know when you have signed.

21. Can UCU offer advice on intellectual property for those taking VR?  E.g. should staff remove university access to lecture recordings and materials?  What about those on panopto?  Some staff have reported that they asked the university not to record sessions on panopto but they were recorded anyway. If you have refused permission to record sessions, then the University is in breach of the policy and the GDPR.  Ask IT to take them down.  In other circumstances, it is best to ask advice from UCU reps.