Joining a union if I'm on temp contract?

oldscoil

Hi Folks.

I'm working in a printers at the moment.

I was first placed on a six month temp contract but was then told that my temp contract is being extended to a year as they "are not 100% convinced I am suitable for the role".

To be honest I smell a rat, and I think they are just going to let me go when my extended six month contract is up in 2 months.

However my query is, casn i join a union whilst being on a temporary contract? i.e. do I have any real rights.

My main concern is that I will be let go because there is no a lot of work coming in, however management might just say they are not happy with my performance, and therefore it would be a black mark against me that I was let go as I was a poor worker!!!

I feel it would be easier for the company to say I was sh1t than to say I had to be let go as they are loosing work

Anyone have any advice?

Thanks Folks.

Eoin

oldscoil wrote: »

I was first placed on a six month temp contract but was then told that my temp contract is being extended to a year as they "are not 100% convinced I am suitable for the role".

...

Anyone have any advice?

First thing I would do is sit down with them and ask them what you can do to convince them you are suitable for the role.

oldscoil

Thanks Eoin.

That ship has sailed I'm afraid.


I sat down with my boss before xmas and she said that i needed to iron out a few things in my job (I am customer care in a printers, although i come from a print production background, so i need all the help i can get)

Anyhoo, she said that she didn't want to loose me as an employee and was willing to send me on cust care traing courses.
I thought this was great and really welcomed it.

Then two weeks after xmas (literally 3 weeks after our first meeting) and said she didn't think it was working out!!!
I mentioned that i had improved in the areas we had discussed before xmas, and the training courses would further strenghten that.
Then she said she wasn't in a position to spend money on training courses for employees that weren't working out!

Ding ding ding ding alarm bells, I'm getting the long slow goodbye.

Thing is, when printers aren't busy, it's blatently obvious because there's no noise, no machines moving, and everyone is sitting around doing fcuk all.
And that is whats happening here.

A few temps from the floor have already been axed.

So i literally thing I'm gonna be bulleted in the next 8 weeks if not sooner!!

And my main concern is that I will run to the end of contract and they will hit me with the "not working out" line.
Which will then look like a black mark on my CV :mad:

Plus it's fcukin annoying to be told you're going to get proper training and then be told your moving ever so closer to the door.
Also my training in the first place was very poor, and this has been noted by management in the past.

Apologies for sobbin' and moanin' Folks.

Mrs OBumble

I assume that the temp contract is being extended instead of being converted into a permanent position, which is what you'd hoped for?

To be honest, if you're temporary, you can say that you left because your temp contract was up, and that's not a black mark. Also, if you had an initial temp contract, and they chose to extend it instead of just letting you go at the end of it, this is a good thing, not a bad one.