Are part time workers VR not allowed!

[Wodenswinkie]

Hello everyone, I am a postman of 34 years and took a buy down 5 years ago so I could retrain to start my own business. This year they were offering EVR at work, I applied got an offer, then they changed the minds saying that only full time jobs are entitled to VR. Since then two full time people with less seniority than me have left with a good VR packages.
Can this be right? Surely this is discrimination. Any help would be much appreciated.

[sussexlad]

Part timer vs Full timer leaving, which will they save the most money on in the long run? I expect on your offer paperwork in very very small writing it might say "Royal Mail reserves the right to withdraw this offer" Did it say anything like that?

[Wodenswinkie]

Thanks Sussex Lad, I don't remember it saying that I will have to dig it out when I get Home.

[sussexlad]

I've never seen a VR offer but I'm sure they would give themselves a way out if they changed their mind.

[RobertT]

VR is given when there’s a surplus of hours within an office and that usually means getting rid of full timers as that’s more cost effective. Sometimes they will be replaced by part timers and sometimes not replaced at all, depending on office circumstances.

There is always the possibility that an office may want to lose a 30 hour duty and replace it with a 20 hour one for example, in which case VR would be offered to the person on the 30 hour contract. Although that is probably more of a theoretical situation, than a real one.

As you already took a form of redundancy when you took buy down, unfortunately you effectively reduced your chances of ‘full VR’ later on.

[baldrick]

PT staff in DOs are not being offered VR as they cover the delivery part of DO duties which are still needed.
VR is offered to PT staff in MCs where they are looking to cut processing hours.