Hi all and I am sorry if I am posting in the wrong place I will try to condense the information has not to ramble. I worked in an admin post that was well paid and a decent pension for 12 years. My mother had set up her own business with her partner a couple of years earlier. In 2010 her partner left her and she begged me to leave my job and work for her doing the admin has she could not do the work. In July 2011 she met another bloke, moved him in and went on holiday with him leaving me in charge to run the business for two weeks. I worked long hours but I did very well doing her work also. She came back and told me she was making me redundant in a weeks time and then she too him on to do my job! Heart broken and angry I left. How could a mother do that to her daughter? She refused to pay me my last months pay and also refused my unspent holiday pay. I took her to an employment tribunial and she ended up paying me a month before it went to court. I put the heart break behind me and set upon finding myself a new job. I applied for around 200 jobs but with no reply even with jobs I was over qualified for. I went self employed for a year has a gardener but has winter set in I did not have enough work so I began applying for jobs again. I have applied for over 100 jobs and still nothing. I took a part time waitressing job to get me and my kids by (I am a single parent) 6 weeks ago. My boss is really impressed with me but I love admin so I have still been applying for other jobs. My boss called me into the office today and said they have checked my references out and my mothers boyfriend has given me a shocking reference. I told my boss everything and she told me not to worry has I am one of the best staff there. Is there anything I can to to stop anymore bad references from him? I only met him once and I have never worked with him. I do want to further my career but he has been putting a stop to that for the last 17 months!! Please can someone help me Thanks in advance to you world wise people