I first started work in 1980 and every job I ever worked at in those days (apart from for my parents) had a three month trial period as part of the contract. I've only ever been fired twice in my working life and once was for a technical breach of contract after I'd been working there three years and the other was because they didn't want to pay redundancy (I'd worked there for three years too and took them to the Employment Tribunal and won a redundancy payout). I never looked at the trial period as anything threatening because I always believed if I did a good job, I wouldn't be asked to leave - and I never was. I did leave one job within the three month period as I wasn't enjoying it - and I felt quite relieved I had an 'out' without having to lie about why I was leaving. Most employers actually made a big deal of the day the trial period ended, welcoming me to the permanent staff.
Yes, there are some employers who may well abuse this law if it is (re)introduced but they are the types who would fondle female employees, treat junior staff like shit, sack people because they wanted to, etc, anyway, so I think it's more a case of choosing your employer (and employees) more wisely to avoid any potential conflict. So many times a person is employed to do a specific job and then they either don't have the skills or are bone lazy and won't do a decent day's work for a decent day's pay and the employer is stuck with them unless they do something really bad. There have been so many cases in the courts where an employee has done everything except steal and when the employer sacks them, they take them to the Employment Tribunal and either get their job back or win huge payouts. There should be laws to protect both employers AND employees and the basic fact is, if you do a good job, your employer shouldn't want to fire you.
Yes, I am pedantic about spelling and grammar so get used to it!
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