Bristol Redundancies  - What it means for You!

With all the austerity measures taken by the coalition government together with the world downturn in economic growth redundancies are an inevitable evil affecting lives here in Bristol and the surrounding area.

The NHS was supposed to be protected under the government cuts but Activ Bristol has just been made aware that Frenchay and Southmead Hospitals are to lose 450 staff over the next year as part of a £28 million saving and efficiency programme. Many of these staff losses will be by natural wastage as a result of retirement and staff moving to other jobs outside of the NHS.

We have already heard of 88 job cuts with Computershare, the largest employer in South Bristol but another round of redundancies - possibly up to 100 jobs - will go over the next four to five months. These redundancies are mainly due to the loss of a Standard Life Contract.

Another company affected by the economy is the famous luxurious car company ‘Bristol Cars’  who have produced hand-built luxury cars since 1947.  Twenty-two loyal staff, many long-serving, are being made redundant and Mike Stokes who has worked for the firm for 25 years, said he felt "quite dazed" by the news.

Many people in the Bristol area are worried about the long term future of their jobs with many saying that they are “cutting back on spending” and “trying to save to prepare for the worst”. This is obviously a sensible thing to do if you are uncertain about your future employment but as national economic viability goes it is a disaster; people do not spend money, production of goods and services are reduced resulting in more companies ceasing to trade, ergo more redundancies and so on until growth stops all together and we end up in a stagnant economy with no way forward. Trying to balance the economy so we don’t have ‘Boom and Bust’ every decade is very difficult and economists and politicians have been trying to get it right for many years  - maybe one day they might succeed, but it is doubtful. 

Bristol City Council which employs over 9000 people will make 700 redundancies over the next year with 400 jobs already gone. This scale of redundancies in Bristol has caused great anxiety, disbelief and anger among the workforce with many expecting more cuts in the future. Bristol City Council has recently approved changes to their redundancy policies and compensation payments in order to save extra money.

Nowhere and no-one will be safe from the axe in Bristol - even Bristol University is warning of job cuts from admin staff to heads of departments. Obviously everyone in Bristol is very apprehensive about the future economy of the city and especially their jobs. However, there is good news with  the hi-tech Bristol Aerospace Companies, Financial Institutions, Engineering and Catering Organizations  still recruiting, to name but a few. There are many successful companies in the South West, still expanding and recruiting but that’s not much help if it is you who has been made redundant!

Many employees we have spoken to in Bristol fear redundancy and look at it as a rejection of their skills taking it very personally with many stating that they would prefer to take a wage cut or job share rather than suffer redundancy. Bristol employers should take this fact onboard and work at retaining  employee’s skills as a future investment in the growth of their business. It will also mitigate the risk of unfair dismissal cases and the lengthy and costly tribunals that usually follow, plus it shows they do care about their employees.

Losing your job by being made redundant can leave you feeling angry, scared and a little helpless wondering what comes next. The first thing to do (after that stiff drink) is to check your finances including savings and bank accounts. List your priority bills such as mortgage/rent, council tax, electricity and gas, mobile, internet and insurances, work out your budget and cancel such items as gym membership, magazine subscriptions and all non-essential expenditure. If money is tight contact your mortgage company as most will be understanding and allow you to pay a reduced amount for two or three months or interest only payments.

Check that your redundancy is fair since an employee with over one year’s service can bring an unfair dismissal claim if there are questions on how the selection process or the procedure for redundancy was not made in a fair and reasonable manner. The employer must follow correct procedures and ensure that the redundancy is genuine. Redundancy should not come out of the blue or not be unexpected as the employer by law is obliged to give the staff ample written warning that there is a risk of redundancies and allow for a consultation period between staff and employer. If you have any doubts about your redundancy contact a specialist lawyer or solicitor for advice or talk to your Trade Union. Many people do not know that in many cases their Household Insurance Policy will cover them in these cases for costs, check with your insurer first.

Here are the minimum staff redundancy payments required by law for people aged between 22 and 41 who are legally entitled to one week’s pay for every year worked.

0.5 week’s pay for each full year’s service where your age was under 22.

1.0 week’s pay for each full year’s service where your age is 22 or above but under 41.

1.5 week’s pay for each full year of service where your age was 41 or above.

Many employers will opt to pay more than these figures, some paying two weeks per year and the most generous up to three weeks.

Jobseekers allowance is available while out of work with £65.45 a week or £51.85 if under 25 which is contributions based. Other benefits may be available such as council tax and housing benefits.

Now for the positive part about finding your new and exciting job in Bristol. The first requirement for that Bristol Job Vacancy is an excellent Curriculum Vitae which will definitely need some grooming especially if it’s some time since you applied for a job in Bristol. The competition will be fierce out there for that special job so focus on your skills, make yourself standout from the crowd. A video introduction to your CV could be an excellent way to be noticed but make sure you get an objective opinion before sending it to a prospective employer.

Now you have decided that in fact your redundancy has given you the opportunity to get out there and  apply for those jobs you always wanted. Visit Bristol Job Centre Plus at Eagle House, St Stephens Street Bristol BS1 1EN 0845 604 3719 where they can help with Job Fairs, Tips on Interview Techniques plus help in finding you “that great Bristol Job”. Meet up with other people in your situation , have a coffee and share ideas. Visit Bristol Recruitment Agencies for Bristol Jobs but do not register your CV with too many as you don’t want a prospective employer receiving your CV ten times for the same job.

So Apply, Apply, Apply and stay focused,  don’t become disheartened by rejection - remember You didn’t get fired from your last job your employer couldn’t afford You! There will be a job for YOU!