I am a term employee in the federal government. I am in my eighth year of this arrangement where my employer threatens to terminate me annually. Last March I was lined up for the door until about 20 hours before renewal. The employer bounces back and forth in justifying this dance by citing automation, then lack of funds. In the meantime, the employer continues to hire agency and casual people, who are factually NOT federal employees, as I am. The bottom line here is that I am being held in perpetual probation; the other 40-45 people in my work area are not tortured in this way-- continually and daily at risk of termination. This is perilous employment. My general question here is: Can a union negotiate away basic universal and statuatory ESA rights using Federal Employment Standards to justify it? Is it okay for the fed government to keep an employee in a state of perpetual probation?
Thanks.