Lucky
Dear F/E,
You work for a big global company which has the funds and the inertia that ensures it will obey employment law. You work in area that is being phased out. In smaller companies management would corral you into a separate business unit and then collapse it, leaving you with no redundancy, no severance, possibly even no last months pay cheque.
I think you have spent too long inside the cacoon of big big industry. In post-Thatcher Britain the cushioning you guys will enjoy as your jobs come to an end is the envy of the average British worker.
Dont make fools of yourselves by throwing a big public tantrum. Have dignity. No matter how painful it is for you, you are the lucky ones - I cant imagine what a final settlement after 30 years must look like. It is somthing my generation will never know. Take it, enjoy it, be thankful for the wonderful carreer you have been priveledged to have, and go forward with you lives shored up with your severance - an opportunity so many wont enjoy