Civil Service and Fixed Term Contracts

[squirrel42]

If anyone is able to help I have a question about the civil service and two-year fixed term contracts, and whether these can still be extended under some circumstances.

I am currently employed by a branch of the civil service in Job B. on a fixed-term contract covering maternity leave. This contract currently expires in August 2009 due to departmental reshuffles, but the maternity person is coming back to her old job in April 2010 and the role needs to be covered until then. I am in a position to continue in the job until then if the regulations permit this.

I initially joined the civil service in Job A. in a different team back in October 2007 on a six month fixed term contract. This was extended by a further two six month contracts and then a three month contract. Towards the end of this last contract I then applied to cover this maternity position in another team, and was offered my current role in May 2009.

When I considered applying for this role, I was initially advised that should I be offered and wish to continue in the job beyond October 2009 the department would need to apply with a business case to the Civil Service Commissioners as it would take me beyond two years fixed term employment within the department. The HR team stated that this would need to be done even though I am now carrying out a different role in a different team to the one I have spent the majority of my employment in.

One month later, I am now in my new role and the HR team have informed me that there has been a new ruling from the Civil Service Commissioners regarding the extension of two year fixed term contracts, and that it is no longer possible to apply to do this. I have also been informed that it would not be possible for me to accept the end of my current contract which expires in August 2009, and then re-apply for the same role again if it were advertised externally or through an agency.

This is all fairly sucky since at least before I was pretty much sure to stay on until October and had the potential to stay on right up until next April, and now they are thinking it's not worth keeping me beyond the end of August since they're going to have to get a new temp in to do the rest of the maternity leave anyway. Our HR team are not wonderful and have mucked things up before, so I am checking around and have asked the CS Commissioners to see what they say about it, but does anyone else know much about this? Is what they are telling me right?