still temporary after 12 months ....

[tigermoth]

I will have been in my public sector job for 12 months next week. I came in as temporary maternity cover. I get on well with my line manager and my colleagues and have had positive feedback about my performance.

The person on maternity leave has returned (has to work for 6 months after the birth) but is working part time. She hasn't made her future plans public. Another colleague in on long term sick leave to recover from illness, and intends to come back to work sometime. So for the time being the unit is understaffed ( usually 3 or 4 full timers) and there is space for me. However the unit itself is under threat (it may get amalgamated with another unit), so plans for the whole unit are not clear. My line manager cannot create a permanent post for me, though she says she will try to find a reason for me to stay on. However, the funding for the particular project I am involved in runs out in August. All the deicsion makers are vague about the future.

I thought I would have some rights once I had passed the 12 month threshold, but after showing my temp contract to our union legal person, apparently not - though he was surprised. Apparently the council will still not be obliged to find me similar employment. I am to be issued with another temp contract taking me up to the end of August and I can join the redeployment list but that is about all. I have no idea if I will be kept on.

I am really geting fed up with this - I can't make future plans and it's really stressful. I thought I had more rights after this 12 month period and it is a blow to discover that's not the case. Anyone been in a similar situation?

Hi

Sorry, you don't have any more rights. A temporary contract is just that - temporary. Where I work, we have plenty of people on two-year fixed term contracts. It is two years because that is the maximum time you can be employed without them ever having to pay redundancy.
As long as you are getting holiday pay and sick pay, you're not entitled to anything else, especially if there is uncertainty for the current permanent employees anyway.
I am public sector too, btw.
Sorry not to have better news.

thanks for your message - there are some issues don't want to be boring and list them, but hopefully I will have a clearer picture next week.

Tigermoth - I recently did a temp job, and someone in the office had definitely been on a temporary contract and apparently because they'd kept her on for 13 months they were obliged to offer her a permanent contract. (Unfortunately didn't happen to me, and the person I was covering for came back from sick leave )

I'll contact her and see if I can get any further details rather than my rather wishy washy memory. I'll email you direct when I find anything out.

Roisin x

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thanks for the website info robin.

From what I can determine, the union legal person is correct in that 12 months service does not give me permanent rights. However, the picture is not as bleak as I first thought as I can definitely go on the redeployment list. Having looked at the rights that gives me over outside candidates, it's not too bad, really. And as always, I am looking elsewhere for jobs, too.

But I really like my job and so don't want to move again And esepcially during the school summer holidays - our holiday plans are even more up in the air now. And for all I know my contract might be extended yet again....

I keep trying to think of the positive things about moving -I'll broaden my skills base and I'll be out of a unit whose future is uncertain anyway. The added experience should also help if and when we move to Devon.

I will definitely ask for some outside legal advice via my home insurance - thanks for the reminder.