Has the Company followed Grievance Procedures

Jauzman

Currently I am in the process of being made redundant. There are 11 people in the company that are being made redundant due to a slow down in the business.
I received a notification of my possible redundancy on the same day that I received a verbal confirmation that my annual salary was going to increase and would be backdated.
Now, I've been trying for months to have my salary investigated and to receive the correct salary for the position I'm in.
This was brought up as a Grievance with HR, who in turn issued me with an Email, stating that they were going through the Grievance Procedure and wanted to know if I wanted to do it Formally or Informally. I decided, to go Informally. They said, if I still wasn't happy with the outcome, I could go down the Formal route. HR said that they would set up a meeting with the Manager and themselves with me.
Weeks after, no meeting was held. I only received a phone call from a 3rd party, saying my Salary was increasing and would be backdated.
On the same day, I was provisionally selected for Redundancy, which I am currently going through.
I did sign an amended contract for the increase in Salary.
Unfortunately, I am under 2 years at the company having left for a few months and came back again, so I'm not entitled to a Redundancy Package.
Q: Has the company followed the correct Grievance Procedures?
If not, what can I do?
I am being made redundant before Christmas with nothing coming from the company.
What can I do?

Living in the Republic of Ireland.

Thank you 🙏

Jauzman

Yes. I agree and thank you 🙏

csirl

To be clear. You complained about your salary via informal procedures following which you got the salary increase you sought? So there is no longer a salary grievence?

Sigma101

Nobody here will be able to tell you if your company followed the correct grievance procedure. These procedures are different from company to company. The company is obliged to follow their own procedure and this is probably alluded to in your employment contract. You should find out where the procedure is documented and satisfy yourself that the correct procedure was followed.

The notification of possible redundancy is a separate matter and a separate procedure. Unfortunately, the closeness to Christmas is irrelevant here.

Jauzman

A meeting with HR and the Manager to discuss through Informal procedures, but there never was a meeting. A salary increase was given without any meeting or discussion on the morning I received Redundancy notification, by a 3rd party telephone call. I have a lot of unanswered questions and details that require looking into.

Jauzman

I believe that, that there was no meeting held or any discussion, what so ever, that the company failed to follow their own grievance procedures, even though, they stated in writing that a meeting would be set up and that if I wasn't happy with the informal meeting, I could proceed with a formal meeting.

Jauzman

So, it is apparent that they did not follow their own Grievance Procedures. No meeting or discussion was held after they put it in writing that they would arrange a formal meeting and discussion.

JVince

Looks like they followed the procedure in the manner you requested and found in your favour.

Can't see any issues on the redundancy as you are a recent recruit. (Past service will not count)

And it's not you that are being made redundant, it is your position. So unless you can show that they have kept your position and put a new person into the exact same position, there is no question for the company to answer.

That you are seen as potentially troublesome and not there for more than 2 years, probably did contribute to it, but utterly impossible to prove.

Jauzman

Not a new recruiter 😂 and never have been troublesome. No procedure was followed with regards to a face to face,sit down meeting, with no discussion held via informal procedures. Notification of pay increase came from a 3rd party.

...Ghost...

What sector is this and can you give more detail on what you mean by third party? Is it an agency, or a person from a parent company?

It does seem very suspicious alright that the timing of the redundancy has come at the same time as the agreed increase. A cynic could say they gave the increase so it wouldn't appear you were being targeted for unfair dismissal. The real question here is whether you, or your position is being axed and how would you know?

Jauzman

It's in the Telecommunications Industry. By 3rd party I mean, someone other than anyone in HR or the Manager. The position, a total of 11 positions, doing the same line of work, are being made redundant.

Sigma101

It's likely that when the company identified candidates for redundancy, they recognised that your outstanding grievance procedure could complicate manners. So they took a pragmatic approach and closed it out by finding in your favour without need for a meeting, and backdated your salary increase. I would imagine that both parties agreeing to an informal process would allow the company some leeway in not following the documented process to the letter.

For the sake of your mental health, it's far better to focus your energy on getting a new job. Don't let that negative energy that comes from a sense of unfairness take hold.

Will Graham

So you're wondering if it's a coincidence that the verbal confirmation of the salary increase came on the same day that you found out about possible redundancy? Have you checked the employee handbook to see if there's anything in there about dealing with grievances?

How long after this news was it that you signed the amended contract, and did you find out what the increase would be in the amended contract? And did you find out how far they are going to back date it? Was it only as a result of your grievance that you were presented with the amended contract? Have you spoken with the others being made redundant?