I had a return to work interview (after more than a week off waiting for OH assessment that advised I was perfectly fir to work, as the hospital had stated on discharging me), immediately followed by a 'management restructuring meeting' where I was invited to resign or take redundancy.

I asked at the start of the meeting when I realised where it was leading whether I would be supplied with minutes; the response was that it was not a formal meeting, so no minutes would be taken/available.

I followed up the meeting with an email with my notes of the meeting. A reply came back with employers version - I think he'd been at a different meeting, still discussing 'restructure' with the implication my role no longer exists, although no reference to redundancy/req to resign that had been main topic of meeting.

At a brief face to face meeting today, reaffirmed the redundancy 'option' - plus followed by a couple of emails from them referring to the face to face meeting, and 'the matter we spoke of' and 'the misunderstanding'.

If I can't get decent settlement, planning to take to Emp Tribunal - but am concerned about this lack of written evidence - any advice?

Also, can I insist on taking a friend with me as a witness to future meetings?

If you have your own written minutes, the tribunal is far more likely to believe your version than the companys contemporaneous version of events!

You can only insist on taking a work colleague or trade union rep, they don't have to allow a friend. If you have over a years service, the company could be in real danger here as the redundancy process seems to be a sham, or at least they have not followed the proper consultation process which the law requires.

I would add that emails can be useful - if they are playing games then so can you, and you may respond to their rather vague messages by email, with read receipts, and directly ask the questions that you need answers. If they refer to 'the matter we spoke of' then ask for clarification - as in 'are you referring to the matter of advising me to resign or take redundancy?'. Keep copies of those emails, or blind cc them to yourself and then keep off the premises. If they choose not to respond, or do so without answering the question, then this will be every bit as telling when put with your own notes.

Hi

thanks you both for your replies - really helpful, I'll continue doing my own minutes of stuff and emailing them to the organisation, regardless of whether they deny what took place.

Logic would after all dictate that I wouldn't write an email starting 'further to our meeting where you requested that I resign or you would commence consultation on redundancy' - unless that had been the topic of the meeting.

They have actually asked me not to go into the office (despite being perfectly well now), so all correspondence is on my private email account. It's just frustrating that there are loads of emails that were sent/received whilst I was working that I don't have access to - probably why they don't want me there. 'Redundancy' is a complete sham; sex/disability discrimination, plus some issues over whistleblowing.

Love your suggestion on clarifying the 'matter that we spoke of' emails, Sidewinder