In Reply to: Re: UK Layoffs posted by Grumpy Guts on 16 July 2002 at 10:04:59:
: : I have received a leaflet from the ITPA union (part of MSF). They certainly know about the impending layoffs.
: So someone with say 5 years service could be fired ie not voluntary. If they had been a hard worker with say 10 days vacation banked, and on say a months notice - they would be payed only 4 weeks in total? - if they were
asked to go straight away? Have I got that right? That's before any "contractual payments" have also been deducted?
The real reason why noone is saying anything is quite simply because we are under threat under the "Confidentiality" agreement.
Everyone in IBM has been ranked out of 100 divided into 4 categories (Current Skills, Potential, Attitude, Performance) with maximum scores of potentially 50, 20, 15, 15 - anyone below a certain score and I'm only guessing here at 50 would then be put at risk. These people are then put through normalisation (this is a secret program only known to IBM) - and hey presto out the other end comes the exact number of individuals they want to get rid of. If you are told you are at risk you are allowed to know your ranking - if safe you are not. You are allowed to know your individual scores within that ranking but this must be backed up by evidence. What evidence - there is none - they have targetted people on long term sick (certificated), over 50's and those with the longest length of service.
This in turn means that if you decide to defer your pension then you loose out on early-retirement benefits, if you decide to take your pension then you loose 3% for every year you are under 63.
Oh I forgot to add - the redeployment plan - over 200 jobs on BPFJ that you can go after - Strange I haven't heard of one person getting one of these jobs yet.
I think you could say we've left it too late to join a Union - I for one regret the decision I made all those years ago - but in those days IBM was an honest place to work.
If anyone out there knows if this is sufficient grounds for constructive dismissal then I'd be interested to hear from them.