Redundancies & lack of transparency

[Maximus113]

Dear All,
I work for an international bank in the UK. About 18 months ago, the parent company, headquartered abroad, reclassified certain offices as non-strategic without clearly explaining what this means, including mine. Since then, employees have been laid off in small batches, with most jobs being offshored to cheaper locations abroad, and there has been no clear communication regarding the future of our office. My specific question is about leaving staff in limbo for 18 months without transparency about the future, which has led some employees to voluntarily leave, as they cannot cope with this degree of uncertainty and don't know what the end game is. Is this lack of transparency legal?
Additionally, employees are frequently summoned to meetings with HR on very short notice (often less than 2 hours) to discuss job security, providing no time to prepare. Is this practice legal, and how should I approach it when my time comes?
Thank you
Maximus.

[ULA]

When you say laid off I presume you mean made redundant and a consultation process has been followed either collectively or with the individuals depending on the numbers?

When you say that individuals are summoned to meetings to discuss job security is it just a general discussion or does it commence a redundancy process?

[Retromau5]

As it stands you've been aware of the companies outlook for 18 months, but have they actually said they were going to close the office? It could be that they're shifting the work in phases, as the departments in the new office(s) becomes operational they shut down the respective departments in your office. They don't really have to tell you this is happening and they're fulfilling their side of you employment contract by keeping you in employment. Redundancy is never good for the people on the receiving end, but sometimes businesses see it as necessary. If it comes to it just make sure you're being given all the pay you are entitled to and try and secure as good a reference as possible by leaving on good terms.