Resigning from The Public Service - Implications

myshirt

I have a friend (truly, it is a friend, not me) who works with a university, he does does security, property maintenance and the likes. He works full time and is with them just short of 20 years.

His wife - she is ill, and he is under severe pressure in trying to juggle everything that has resulted from this. It has been a number of months at this stage, it is not subsiding. She needs a carer, and he could do with some more time on his hands etc.

In any event, this lady is on disability allowance. As I see it, his options are:

1. Continue working as is, and try manage
2. Leave the job outright, go on her claim as a qualified adult, and claim half rate carers allowance
3. Apply for carers leave, and do the above
4. Ask for reduced hours, and do the above

My question relates centrally to severance payments and pension entitlement implications if anyone knows these as relate to the public service, however the issue is fundamentally a work problem I suppose.... the context is this.... the employer will absolutely have none of it, friend has to work full weeks, only allowed use his holidays, has been told to swap a few night hours with the lads if he gets called away during the day for tending to his wife, say if she fell or was admitted to hospital by ambulance. In fact, once she actually fell out of the bed and was on the ground for 6 hours until he got back from work, that hit him hard. She now has one hour carers help a week under an assessment of need for 8 hours. He pays for a half hour check in on her daily in addition as all can afford.
The lads are as accommodating as they can be, but they've families themselves, and don't like working nights or afternoons, so only so far you can reasonably press them to be fair.

Questions:
1. If this guys leaves, does he lose any right to a lump sum or severance payment or something? As I understand it, all people in the public service get sorted with a lump sum at some stage down the line (don't shoot me if wrong)
2. Is there a mechanism within the public service framework to negotiate a voluntary severance deal? Or does he leave, and that is it, he forgoes all.
3. Is anyone aware of maybe the union getting involved to try and reduce this mans hours to help him out? It is not exactly a difficult position to recruit for as I see it, they could get another guy in to make up the hours my friend wants off.

Ultimately, I'd be interested in getting the perspective of others, particularly those of you within the public service.

3DataModem

1. No there is no severance if you resign.
2. If he leaves he forgoes all. There's no negotiation other than maybe not working his notice period.
3. No harm talking to the Union.

myshirt

Commercially it would make sense I believe to offload him and replace with a cheaper member of staff. As we are all aware, many, many public service employees were vastly, vastly overpaid over the years for what they were worth. Wages are way too high in the public service generally. Though I hear you, they are tied into set pay rates and pay scales with these jobs. Alas, were there the freedom to give the public sector workers the haircut they all need, maybe my friend could be offloaded and a cheaper member of staff hired, but that's a conversation for another thread.

Thanks for reply. I am suggesting he bounce it off the union. Surely there is enough brains there to sort something out for him. There are a lot more solutions than just an 'I'm not having any of it' response from the employer. Personally, I am against unions as I believe they distort wages and have done so for the public service (paid way too much over the years), so I am weak on unions, I don't know an entire amount about the mechanics; but certainly if these guys can help, fantastic. I wasn't entirely sure on the extent of their role.

Riskymove

3DataModem wrote: »

2. If he leaves he forgoes all. There's no negotiation other than maybe not working his notice period.

if he is a permanent pensionable position then he would retain deferred pension rights

with 20 years service he is basically looking at a half pension when he reaches 65 or similar (depending on exact conditions of his pension scheme)

pawrick

Definitely get on to his union over this for advice. There are many grades and types of employees within the public service as it's just a catch all term. Generally employees like him would be classed as an industrial grade or service officer grade if employed within a government department and would have very specific terms of employment which historically can differ significantly from place to place before things became more standardised though the various partnership agreements.

Bandana boy

I would think a leave of abscence on compasionate grounds would be hard for the university to refuse .

This way if circumstances change he could return ,and maybe if an offer to reduce headcount comes up in the future he might be eligible

Monife

Riskymove wrote: »

if he is a permanent pensionable position then he would retain deferred pension rights

with 20 years service he is basically looking at a half pension when he reaches 65 or similar (depending on exact conditions of his pension scheme)

And this would include half the lump sum (on retirement).

myshirt

I really think put in for Carers leave to give him breathing space to think. You are allowed 2 years. But ultimately, there's an underlying issue, and I think on financial terms and family terms he is best off with 15 hours a week and carers allowance if they'd do it for him.

Riskymove

Monife wrote: »

And this would include half the lump sum (on retirement).

it should do, depending on what the pension scheme is

the usual approach is that you get 1/80th of your salary for each year of service so after 40 years that is 50%

The lump sum is normally 1.5 times your salary so half that would be .75 salary

Union or HR should be able to clarify all this

myshirt

So potentially could he retire now and take a pro-rata lump sum, and also get the pro-rata pension come retirement age? He's only in his early 40's at this stage.

I will encourage him to push it with the union, but he's the kind of chap who doesn't like to complain; but from my perspective, it's not right, and I just want to make sure he has all the information to hand. Up to him what he does then, but I can just see he is too stressed to be doing this and would rather take the beating life if giving him at the moment. Trying to balance helping him out, and also not overstepping, as really it is not my business.

Monife

myshirt wrote: »

So potentially could he retire now and take a pro-rata lump sum, and also get the pro-rata pension come retirement age? He's only in his early 40's at this stage.

I will encourage him to push it with the union, but he's the kind of chap who doesn't like to complain; but from my perspective, it's not right, and I just want to make sure he has all the information to hand. Up to him what he does then, but I can just see he is too stressed to be doing this and would rather take the beating life if giving him at the moment. Trying to balance helping him out, and also not overstepping, as really it is not my business.

He could only do this if he was suffering from ill health himself that requires him to leave work. Otherwise, there are minimum retirement ages (different in each scheme, he should check with HR).