bad work references

[lillythecat]

I was on a self employed contract working for a marketing company. The company terimated my contract just because i went for another job interview in my own spare time.They have also given a bad reference so i can not start my new job,is this legal?Would i have any ground to stand on if i wanted to persue this matter to court?What action can i take?

[JoolsTwo]

Might be worth going to the Citizens Advice Bureau. I don't think it is legal to give a bad reference, but it dependes on what they have said or may be refuse to give one. But as I say see CAB they would be able to advise you

[rjkh]

I stand to be corrected, but I believe it is legal to give a "bad" reference. Catch is, anything which is said or written about you has to able to be verified. So if for example your previous employers claimed that you were always late for shifts, they would have to hold some form of documentation (sign-in, clock-in reports etc).

You can ask your prospective new employers for a copy of any written reference, and unless your previous employers had specifically requested that it remains confidential (which few bother to do) I believe they are obliged to provide you with a copy.

If you get that far, search for anything you feel is inaccurate or unfair and challenge it.

Obviously this is somewhat time consuming,but if you threaten your former workplace with legal action you should be able to get them to sign any reference you want them to!

[tomclark]

no previous employer is aloowed to give a "negative" reference, it is discrimination: the worst that they can legally do is simply confirm dates that you wroked and you job title: you have rights! - you can ask for copies of any docuemnts that have been forwarded to your "New" employers - don't let them get away with it!