Believe it or not, there is legal precedent on this matter - but first, here's some general background on the matter.
If an employer is not selling the business, but just requires staff to move office (i.e., transfer to another location), then I am not aware of any specific employment rights that staff have in this context. In other words, to my knowledge, staff are not automatically entitled to 'moving expenses' or compensation for moving office.
In situations where an employer DOES (and many do) make these expenses available, then the terms and conditions of any payments made are for negotiation between the employer and the employee (or a trade union on behalf of an employee).
Sometimes, given the nature of employment (particularly in the public sector) an employer may have a mobility policy in place. In stituations like this (the Civil Service is a good example), staff transfer or move within the organisation to various jobs at equivalent levels on a regular basis. As I mentioned in the Civil Service, many staff transfer from one area to another with the Department every 3-4 years. Sometimes, these internal transfers may involve moving to a different office or location of the same Department and in the Civil Service, no compensation is paid to staff for these moves (unless agreed between unions and employers).
If you have a concern about transfers or moving offices, then I would suggest that you should raise this issue with your employer. Sometimes, if the option of moving office/transferring to another location will prove extremely difficult (i.e., from a commuting perspective), your employer may well be amenable to other options.
I would also suggest you might get in touch with your local staff representative (union), if you have one. You may find that there are other employees in the same situation who have concerns about tranferring or moving offices and your union can raise these concerns with management on your behalf.
The issue concerning whether or not you are entitled to voluntary redundancy, on the basis that the commute is impossible and you must resign, is a different matter. Cases decided before the Employment Appeals Tribunal have in the past, indicated that where the employer has moved more than a 20 mile radius from the previous location, the employer may claim their position is gone and they can make a claim to the Tribunal for voluntary redundancy. Read more about redundancy here:
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Have a think about the above - I realise it's a lot to take in but iI hope it clarifies matters for you.
I'd suggest your first step however, might be to talk to your employer and see if they are amenable to other working arrangements. Remember, you and your employer can always re-negotiate certain terms of your contract, including your working hours and work arrangments.
Best of luck with this.
