Your rights: Redundant position up for grabs again

By JOHN HANNAN

Q: I was made redundant in December 2000 from a position held for eight-and-a-half years. The job was re-advertised in December 2001. My employment contract carried a clause for re-offer of employment within a year of redundancy but I heard nothing from the employer. As I had recently started a new position at the time, I didn't really give the situation any more thought.

With this employer now re-advertising, I have made an application for this position. So far I have heard nothing beyond confirmation that they received my application.

A: Depending on the exact wording of the "re-offer of employment" clause in your previous employment agreement, you may be able to follow up on this with the employer. But it seems likely that any entitlement you may have had to re-employment has now lapsed. If you were a good performer in this position in the past, however, you should be a good candidate by most selection standards, and a lower risk than someone who has never done the job before.

You could attach former performance evaluations that demonstrate your ability in the job, use references that speak to your abilities when you were employed there before, and make sure your letter is very clear about why you would like to rejoin the company.


Employment Relations Service

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