Moved abroad and sacked 4 months later

[WhatFreshHell71]

So, me, Dh and our dcs have moved abroad to an EU country. Dh had landed a great role with an multinational company.

We were happy at the chance to experience new way of life but it was a big decision for us. And an expensive one so far.

His contract stated six months probation. He had his three month probation meeting last week. No issues. Nothing was flagged. He'd been working really hard - late nights, one weekend etc.

Yesterday, he's been told his services are no longer required because of cost cutting direction from HO. No other reason was given.

He had to leave the building immediately as if he had done something wrong. He was mortified.

Apparently, he is entitled to nothing as it was during his probation period.

We are stunned. The dcs are in enrolled in school and are all happy there. Dd has started her GCSE course this year. Dh's job package was part payment of the school fees.

We've had to sign a three year rental agreement (that's the norm here).

And now we are utterly shafted by this completely out the blue sacking.

Any advice as to what we can do? It just seems totally unethical, not that that will have any weight.

While the focus is on your DH just some thoughts on the school, most international schools have hardship funds for this very reason (parents job disappears at crucial time in kids education) Speak to them, let them guide you through options. I guarantee you it's not the first time it's happened, so they should be able to help consider what's best for DD while you work out DHs position.

If there's no notice period during probation he can just let be go and not paid for anything further than what he worked I believe.

Escorted from the business premises is standard in most companies I've worked for whatever the reason for leaving (choice or pushed). Mainly for data security.

I think your focus is all wrong here OP, there really isnt any need to read anything into being escorted out, it's standard in many industries especially banking, IT, and certainly common practice in many US owned mulitnationals, so dont worry everyone there will have seen it before. Even if he was the best employee ever, so what, they can still let him go in a probabtion period, thats what its for, you dont have to have a reason. Its same in uk.

If they are making savings how would other employees react if they see a person there only 3 months kept on. It is again normal in case of budget cuts to get rid of anyone you can, before discussing severace packages. So horrid that the situation is, i'm afraid people saying talk to lawyers are just wasting your money unless his contract had special provisions for the probation period.

The focus has to be on finding a new job, he was recruited by an agency, so push them to get his interviews lined up locally and in uk, get a new job asap.

Go back look at the provisons in the contract re fees, did they only kick in after the probabtion period or can you get the 50% of year one paid now. look at the rental situation with an expert are you allowed sublet?

Its very very common when contracts are terminated, or employees made redundant, etc to be asked to leave straight away, and be escorted off the premises. So that in itself does not mean anything.
When this happens first thing in the morning, colleagues may not even know the person has gone - as has happened.
You then ask - where's xxx, etc, only to find out their role / job / contract has been terminated.
Can happen whether the person is in a permament position, or temp position, whether they have been there years (redundancy, is a misnomer).
It often happens when employees resign as well, then they are on 'gardening leave' for the duration of their notice period.
I've seen it all.

I was going to say that you shouldn't have moved until he finished his probation, but they appear to have been pretty committed to him. After all, they paid half your relocation costs, which they wouldn't have done unless they were pretty sure they were going to keep him.

Something very fishy is going on.

how would other employees react if they see a person there only 3 months kept on

They'll notice!

The main thing is for him to get a reference letter and start job hunting.

Although I'd also want more of an explanation too.

Please get some specialist legal advice.

He will have rights under EU employment law, not least a minimum notice period and the right to a good reason in writing. Almost certainly, he should have had the right to a rep with him when they dismissed him. They aren't exactly the same rules as in the UK, and there are some regional variations.

Before he starts firing off letters he needs to get urgent, high quality, specialist local employment law advice so he can clear whether the firm can do this or whether his manager is pulling a fast one.

Do you suspect him?

I wouldn't waste any time writing a letter

I'd just consult a lawyer

I'm not sure of this standRd to be escorted out the day of thing, every company I've worked for, every company my friends have worked for, people work their notice periods. You're not asked to leave immediately and escorted out by security as standard practice.

I'm surprised so many people think working your notice is some bizzare concept.

bluntness No, these were within probation periods. Company expanded in preparation for a big project which fell through. Very similar circumstances. There would have been a process yes but it was behind the scenes, the staff only found out on that day and had to leave.

Some companies do have "sensitive " information that they do need to "protect " .
I know of people that have been escorted off the premises ( not for gross misconduct ).

Ok, I'm not disputing this, I myself work for a large corporation but I stand by that unless going to a competitor it's the norm to work your notice and not be brought in, fired on the spot, escorted off the premises, and told you're lucky they didn't claim back their relocation costs.

I don't think being put on gardening leave immediately is that unusual.
It is a horrible situation for you OP.
Seek legal advice ASAP.
Decide if you want to stay in the country you are in or return to UK.
Consider can you legally stay where you are? Also what the impact of Brexit is likely to be.
Do you have a place to return to in the UK?
Honestly you have my total sympathy as a trailing spouse.

As a teacher, I would suggest you contact the admission department of the school(s) your children have just left.

Speaking mainly about private schools as that is where my experience is.

You could be back after half term. I’m thinking mainly of your DD, if her place is still available, could she take it back up again even if that means staying with family until you are all back.

The others, who I presume are younger, are less urgent but Xmas of Y10 is the absolute latest you can change schools and not miss a lot of content.

Even being put on gardening leave and escorted off the premises there'd still be a notice period to be paid.

What does the contract say? It’s standard to have it written out about any initial costs incurred by the company (relocation etc) if either party terminate the contract within a certain period. Some people have moving fees or at least a return ticket back home as part of the deal if they get dismissed as opposed to quitting.

The fact that he was told he was lucky they weren't claiming back relocation costs implies to me there is seriously bad blood between the manager/company and your DH.

If it was genuine cost cutting most managers would be sympathetic, especially knowing his whole family had relocated.

@madeforthis that is nonsense to say it looks like "bad blood". Even if management feel sympathetic towards a fired person, if they say so they could land the company with legal action.

OP it sounds to me like your DH was the easiest person to get rid of because he was still in his probation period so could be sacked without notice. If Luxembourg is like France then it's very hard to get rid of people outside that.

Once HQ says "cost cutting" anything like how well he was doing or how hard he worked will go out the window, if he's the easiest to get rid of. Don't read too much into why they chose him. I hope you get something sorted with another job.

@Bluntness100
My dh arrived home one morning with the words “I’ve just been sacked”. He hadn’t. The company had offered him a very generous settlement agreement to make him and the problem of him go away. He had done nothing wrong. He was one of a series of people this happened to. A deluge at first. Then a few picked off here and there. The company wanted to make cuts rather than redundancies so they could re employ people in the same job for less money. Dh was also scapegoated for problems he was trying to resolve, which were not of his making and 18 months down the line the situation is worse. As I said he had over 2 decades of service.

No one is escorted out the building for cost cutting exercises, I'm sorry op

Pretty standard -stops you accessing emails, contacting clients etc

Cost-cutting makes no sense as they must have paid a huge amount in resettlement.

I feel very bad for you. This must have been a massive shock.

Except I remember the time that DH's company hired a lot of workers for a new team, trained them extensively and then were told the company had to make savings. They all got fired before their probation finished. They had been head hunted and given up good jobs. It was awful. But they were easier and cheaper to fire than anyone else.