Had a job trial,job wasn't available?

Ivana_Tinkle

This isn't an apprenticeship or an internship. It's absolutely clear cut.

Joethe147

They never lied about pay though. I was definitely told at my interview that my week trial, if I got it, would be unpaid. So I can't and I'm not complaining about that.

arcon5

Based on their emails, the fact they are still advertising vacancies I think any reasonable person would accept you was used for free labour.

You did a trial week on the premise a job may be offered to you based on your performance during that week. If you can persuade a judge that they deliberately mislead you and had you do the free week under false pretenses, then I wonder if you could sue for their misrepresentation for a 'wage' for that week.

I wonder if they'd react to a letter before action, stating something along the lines that you have evidence that they deliberately misrepresented what was being offered and your offer of a free week was based on their representations, as a result of this you require payment for the services rendered due to their breach of agreement.

Joethe147

That's a little bit along the lines of what I was thinking, arcon5. But I don't want to do it incase it's within all boundaries and makes me look completely daft. I could not care less about the money for the week as I can't see any way in which I would get paid and I don't really care about it (even though I do need a full-time job. It's doing the week there beliving there was a job available and then later (much later) being told there is no permanent position available. I did have travel costs to incur along with working for, what was in the end, literally nothing.

Think I might just email Trading Standards to begin with and ask whether they could do anything. I just really want some official body or agency to contact them, warning them and giving up a kick up the behind. And I want to be completely sure before anything happens.

DCFC79

Would Trading Standards do anything ?

Powered_By_Pies

Unlikely, but I don't know who you can turn to without going to some form of employment tribunal - which I don't think would work as it is as there's no argument on monies owed, it's down to the morality of the company itself and the tactics they're using to get a week's free labour from someone before binning them off and getting in someone else.

Akin to the dreaded zero-hour contract in my eyes. Not worth the paper it's written on. "Sure, you can have a job, but, uh....no paid holiday, pitiful sick leave, your hours aren't confirmed and can change by the day and if we don't want you any more, you're gone."

OP, the only two things I could think of would be to contact the job sites posting this company's vacancies to inform them that they don't actually have any jobs available (whilst I don't think there's cast-iron laws surrounding that, there must be some way the company can have their wrists slapped over advertising a non-existent position), and/or maybe contact a local MP to highlight the poor ethics of a local business in the community. Might be a long shot but with elections always on-going, local MP's might jump onto that one to show they're 'serious' about tackling working welfare.

Joethe147

Thanks Powered_By_Pies.

I emailed the Citizens Advice Bearau