, I was quite surprised at the lack of interest in contracts, pensions, employment rules and so on. I would beg people to take an interest and study how everything works, because quite frankly that devious person from the Scunthorpe HR Dept. is going to tell you a pack of lies.
firstly - 'toid... good luck, hope you get a full time post, then a better job offer so you can tell them to stick it up their ass.
Secondly.... I used to be one of those people Joe.. simply because I never had to be. I realise now I've been extremely fortunate in my working life to date working for people I could respect and trust. Not the case now unfortunately. Although the company I work for is small and only a few years old.. a UK division of a larger Irish company - we're (touch wood) doing well and profits and turnover have grown year on year and we've never made a loss, not even in the first few precarious years. Last year, we got a letter from the MD saying the auditors asked why they'd never cut wages because - and I quote - 'everyone else is doing it these days', so the old fart decided he'd just flag up to everyone that that might be on the cards. Not because it was necessary, but because he could in other words. After working for 30 odd years without one, I sent said old fart a letter telling him if that did happen i would not be accepting and treating it as an illegal stoppage of earnings... and (feeling like a bit of a user) I'm now a union member.
So far.. so good... but of course nobody's talking pay increases either.
My daughter works for an oil company and has just got 7.5% rise ..........she works hard and sometimes has a moan - I don't think she realises how lucky she is.
. These are very worrying times 
