Layoffs in the U.K.

By Mark Evans | Published: March 30, 2009

While Nortel has targeted North America as the focus of its restructuring efforts – something made clear within its Key Executive Incentive Plan – the company is starting to prune jobs around the world.

In the U.K., 220 position are being slashed, including 87 at Nortel’s 34-acre manufacturing operations in Newtownabbey. The plant now employs about 500 people, compared with 2,000 at the peak.

According to a source, the U.K. employees did not receive a notice period or severance, and we given two hours to pack.

For more, check out this BBC story. As well, local Berkshire has a story about how 60 Nortel employees refused to leave the building yesterday after learning they had been terminated.

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  • techvet

    OK folks, heres the latest news.

    It seems that all Nortel employees laid off in England this week would be able to act together in a combined claim in an English Industrial Tribunal, as long as all of those people were making the same claim, which of course we are. Those laid off in Northern Ireland would have to make a separate claim there, which I understand that the local union is going to do. What we need is the names and addresses of anyone wanting to take part in the English claim as their names have to be submitted as part of the Industrial Tribunal 'Multiple' claim form, this is in addition to the ET1 form form.

    However anyone wanting to do this must make sure that they write to the administrator requesting payment for what they are owed. My understanding is that this should include pay for the 90 day consultation period, payment for holidays not taken and pay in lieu of notice (which will depend on your contract, but would normally be three months). Obviously you can only actually claim for money you are owed and that you have not been given by the government funded statutory redundancy pay, currently on £350 per week, where the number of weeks depends on your length of service. However as it if the company's contractual responsibility to pay you, I don't think you would have to do any calculations in order to write your letter. They know how much you are supposed to have been paid already, just ask them for your entitlement in terms of days, weeks or months.

    Please pass this on to anyone else who may not be a regular user of AAN but who may have been impacted in the UK this week.

  • Donn

    How about 'Norals' (as in 'No Morals' or 'Nortel Morals') – but works quite well with Nortel

  • pbj

    The Union will be taking up the case for al their members but the people who are not union members are also getting together to take an unfair dismissal case

  • techvet

    HI pbj,

    is this just for NI or are you aware of anyone organising in England too?

  • pbj

    I spoke yesterday to a guy in England and he was looking to get together with some other people to help organise this i have forwarded his e-mail address to him
    I also spoke to a guy this morning from England who is part of unite and apparently the two Regional Organisers are going to try and get together and see if anything can be done jointly

  • what_a_relief_2b_ex_nortel

    Can interested ex monkstown folk please sign up to a message service/discussion forum by sending a blank email to:-
    nnuksevered-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk
    as part of the sign up you will need to introduce yourself with a 200 word paragraph and a group moderator will then decide on admittance. It may be beneficial for Non-union to create consolidated tribunal submission.

  • How_long

    Techvet, I am thinking it may be possible to claim more than these things.
    In this recession getting another job may take a long time. You can estimate what time that might be and file a claim for uppaid wages for it. The thing is compensation is for actual loss, which is more than just 90 days consultation period and 3 months notice. If you were paid 90 days plus 3 months salary you would still not be back where you were: you'd have no job and no income (just the dole).

  • techvet

    How_Long, I am personally looking into claiming for other things myself due to my own personal circumstances, however these will be different for each person and require a different claim. As far as acting together is concerned that could only be for things that were common claims amongst all the claimants.

    It would be nice to think that there was something that we could do that was 'punitive' but from the above, from what I have been reading I think the best that you could hope for (beyond what is discussed above) is an order to reinstate you, which is apparently relatively unusual.

    If you have any other suggestions then Id be pleased to hear them.

    Rgds

  • Pingback: Nortel Executives again display their Machiavellian leanings « Nortel Insider - by Desk Jockey

  • pbj

    Anyone who went from Monkstown could you please contact your local MP although the Uion is doing this there really needs to be pressure put on from non union people.
    The more pressure the better it will be we really need people to listen to what happened

  • Home_Free

    UK Nortel Yahoo group stil hasn't responded after 4 emails in 3 weeks. No group listed if you search Yahoo UK groups either :-(

    Monkstown RP1 claims currently being processed in Birmingham since 7th April, Belfast have still not received info yet so the cheques will be a long time coming yet!!

  • Home_Free

    UK Nortel Yahoo group stil hasn't responded after 4 emails in 3 weeks. No group listed if you search Yahoo UK groups either :-(

    Monkstown RP1 claims currently being processed in Birmingham since 7th April, Belfast have still not received info yet so the cheques will be a long time coming yet!!

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