No pension during probationary period?

penrhyn

I suppose it depends on how much you wish to remain with you current employer, probation and all that.
Do you know anyone who can go over your contract for you, maybe a local solicitor who specialises in employment law.
If there are others in a similar position you could share the costs.

Debt_Free_Chick

I would raise it now and not wait. But there's no need to approach this in a way that would alienate the employer and make them feel defensive. You may feel you were mislead ... but you don't know yet that you were, as you don't know how that clause in the contract is to be interpreted.

So why not make a very gentle "I'm not sure if I'm reading this correctly ... " kind of enquiry.

The first thing is to establish what the employer will do .... and then to consider taking issue if it's different to what you thought. Establish the facts first - it could be that all this emotional energy is completed wasted

Keldin

Debt_Free_Chick wrote:

So why not make a very gentle "I'm not sure if I'm reading this correctly ... " kind of enquiry.

Thats the approach I took when this came up and why i'm looking for opinions here. If it were an unambiguous clause the only thing I could say is it was hidden in the fine print and I got caught out but since it's the usual vague legal phrasing it adds another level to it. I'll see how it goes over the next few days
Thanks for all the advice
K

Debt_Free_Chick

Let me just say that I am Pensions Manager at a company and your enquiry would come to me. If yours was the first that I had received, I'd be off to my lawyers pretty quickly to see what they thought. Now then .... my lawyers would do their best to find me "a way out" if that was what I wanted, but they would genuinely tell me my chances of success.

On the other hand, I might tell you that the clause is badly worded but you are entitled to the contributions for your probationary period, because that was what the Company intended all along - we just worded it badly.

So .... make the enquiry as we don't know what the company intended and the wording in the contract is, IMHO, less than clear.

Let us know how you get on

exil

Well, they don't HAVE to contribute anything that isn't stated in your contract of employment.

If you get on well in your probation and are confirmed in your post, you could always ask nicely at that point. If they want to keep you, they might well throw in the 6 months contributions.

Making a song and dance about it DURING probation may not be wise tactics. They may think you are working for them just for the pension.