Internal job advertised while on holiday

[numnum]

My partner has been holiday for a couple of weeks only to go back to work and find out a job that he had been waiting to come up has been advertised internally and has been open and the closing date was last week.

No one was expecting it to come up so soon and as he was on holiday hadn't seen anyone to tell him about the job. the internal internet has been down so theirs been no way of seeing it was advertised

He spoke to HR and they have said their systems are now closed and they cant take in an application now. In the past they made an exeption for a member of staff who was a day late because of illness

Could he go to his union about this or try contacting the HR department about it?

[factor-fiction]

I doubt anything can be done other than to ask. It is quite common in my experience for internal adverts to have a closing date of 2 weeks. Larger firms tend to have some sort of agreement with the unions about the advertising process.

[Maydup]

I think it would be extremely poor practise not to accept a late application from someone's who's on holiday. Tell him to put in an application regardless of what HR say and copy in the manager of the department with a covering note to say he was on holiday.

If he's still not considered then go to the union (rather than now)

Good luck to him

[numnum]

I've been told the job was only advertised and closed within a week. So they've not even had it up for long. Normally if the jobs come up you know well in advance and its up for ages

[chelle7272]

Has your partner approached his union about it yet?

[factor-fiction]

It seems like poor practice to me. In my experience this suggests they may alreadyhave had someone lined up and were just going the motions by doing the minimum required under the policy for advertising vacancies.
Have you spoken to your union if there is one?