Our helpline is regularly contacted by individuals who’ve lost their job after their employer found out about their criminal record. This can be extremely distressing, especially if the conviction is spent (under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974) and, due to the type of job they applied for, didn’t need to be disclosed.
If this has happened to you, generally you’ll have very few employment rights as you would have been employed for less than two years.
However, we’ve produced some new information on wrongful dismissal claims which, in certain circumstances, can be used to claim damages against an employer.
Although the amount you can claim is limited, it may be worth looking into this. This can be important, not just because of the damages you might get, but also because it’s your opportunity to make it clear that you were not the one in the wrong.
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I got offered a permanent contract with royal mail but as soon as they found out about my criminal record they dismissed me instantly. I’ve got 1 conviction on my record for gbh so I thought this wouldn’t affect this type of work but apparently I was wrong.