Breach of contract(verbal)

nakedassassin

My brother-in-law works as a manager for an agency for railway repairs(signalling)and told me he could get me work.So I handed in my notice and worked it out.
The company he works for then paid for me to have a medical and alcohol and drug tests and put me through a 2 day course to gain my PTS(personal track safety) ticket.
After several weeks of me phoning him asking when I'm getting a start and him replying "next week" I phoned the agency instead of him only to be told there's no work........

On another forum I was told that this was a breach of contract as he had verbally offered me work.
Any advice would be gratefully received.
Thx.

LittleVoice

Verbal contracts are rather difficult to prove, aren't they.
Does he have the authority to offer such work?
Unless the agency has sole rights to provide staff then it is difficult to see how anyone in the agency could promise this - the actual employer could always reject an individual.
The PTS is only the start to getting work on railway infrastructure. Though you are lucky if the agency actually paid for that rather than getting the money upfront from you. Do you have relevant experience.

I hope you have found other work since you left the employer where you worked out your notice.

nakedassassin

He does have the authority as he hires on a regular basis although because his area is signalling it is usually those with signalling qualifications.However he also pointed out that even signalling jobs require "bag carriers" as he put it.
Unfortunately because he kept saying "next week" I never looked for other work so I've not worked for almost 6 weeks now and never signed on,so savings are gone,this months rent will take me into my overdraft(which is only £300) so gonna have to take anything that comes along very shortly if I want a roof over my head next month

LittleVoice

Good luck with the search.

Though people who leave a job voluntarily don't qualify for JSA immediately, I wonder if it might be useful if you had something on the agency's letterhead to confirm that you had been expected to work for them from the time you left your previous employer but that now no work is available. I do not know if this would be accepted but it could be worth a try if you don't have any work right now.

Would it be worth contacting your former employer? Do they still want someone? Did the person who took over from you work out OK or are they looking again?