{"id":12947,"date":"2023-07-08T09:44:09","date_gmt":"2023-07-08T09:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theukrules.co.uk\/?page_id=12947"},"modified":"2023-10-06T07:06:46","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T07:06:46","slug":"change-employment-contract","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.theukrules.co.uk\/rules\/employment\/employing\/contracts\/change-employment-contract\/","title":{"rendered":"Changing an Employment Contract Terms and Conditions"},"content":{"rendered":"
CONTRACT CHANGES<\/strong>: There are problems to avoid or resolve when changing an employment contract.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n As a rule, both the employer and the employee need to agree to make contract changes.<\/p>\n But, in some cases the employee can insist on a change<\/strong> to certain terms and conditions. They must have a legal right to force this particular issue.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n An employer cannot change an employment contract without employee consent. They must get their employee’s full agreement if they want to make changes to the contract.<\/p>\n Before an employer starts changing an employment contract terms and conditions they should:<\/p>\n This is also an opportunity to talk with your workers and inquire about their future plans. Older employees may give you their thoughts on early retirement and other plans for work. This might include making changes to their role in the workplace or their average working hours<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Start the process by explaining to management why you want to make some changes. There are situations when you can insist on a change to your employment contract. But, it must be a change that a statutory right covers (e.g. to stop working on Sundays<\/a>).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Having agreed the contract changes with their staff, the next step for employers is:<\/p>\n There may be instances where an employer changes some terms and conditions that are not in the written statement. An example might be an employee’s right to sick leave.<\/p>\n In this case employers should inform their workers where to find the changes. The changed information could be in a company handbook, intranet site, or noticeboard.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n You may make changes to collective agreements<\/a> with trade unions<\/a> or staff associations. But, employers must inform their staff of any collective agreement contract changes.<\/p>\n These type of changes can affect the terms of written statements like maximum weekly working hours<\/a> and pay. This can happen even if they are not a member of the union or staff association.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Flexibility clauses are part of some specific terms in a contract. As a rule they give employers the right to make changes to some conditions to employment. A common flexibility clause could include employee relocation<\/a> for example.<\/p>\n Note<\/strong>: Employers can only use flexibility clauses when the changes are reasonable. An unreasonable example could be giving only 1 week notice to an employee to go work overseas.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n What happens if you start working for a different employer? In this case, you would usually will get a new written statement of employment within two (2) months.<\/p>\n The rules for changing employment contracts do not apply if only a business name changes. The same would also apply if workers get a new employer (e.g. business transfers, takeovers and TUPE) but no other changes occur in the t’s and c’s.<\/p>\n In both these cases, employers do not need to issue a new or changed written statement. But, they must inform staff<\/strong> about the changes within one (1) month.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n It is not uncommon for disciplinary measures<\/a> to result in a change an employment terms and conditions. The same might also apply in a case of employee demotion.<\/p>\n Employers should ensure the staff handbook or intranet site provides this information. You can give an outline on how this could happen in the disciplinary procedures section.\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When you change an employment contract terms and conditions problems can occur if:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are various ways employers and staff can solve a workplace dispute<\/a>. But, solutions are usually less formal when disputes involve contract changes. You can try talking it through or using mediation.<\/p>\n As a trade union member, you would be able to get proper advice from your union representative. You can also contact Citizens Advice<\/a>, Acas<\/a>, or the LRA in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n Labour Relations Agency Helpline<\/strong> As a rule employers or employees can take legal action if the problem remains unsolved. At this point, getting legal advice is important because it can be expensive. Trade union members can usually get legal counselling from their union.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Employers should not make changes to an employment contract without getting staff agreement. This includes using flexibility clauses in unreasonable situations. If any of these contractual breaches occur employees may:<\/p>\n Note<\/strong>: An employment tribunal is also called an ‘industrial tribunal<\/strong>‘ in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n What if employees disagree with the new terms and conditions but say or do nothing? In this case it often counts as agreeing to the changes made to the employment contract.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n In some cases, employers can end a contract and then re-employ the staff member<\/strong>. But, re-employing the same employee on new terms and conditions is often seen as a last resort.<\/p>\n All employers must follow employee dismissal procedures<\/a> when they end an employee’s contract. That also means adhering to the required:<\/p>\n In some cases dismissing and re-employing staff could qualify them for a tribunal. Your employee could then make a claim for:<\/p>\n An employee may claim breach of contract if they fail to solve an issue with their employer. In this case they might take their case to an employment tribunal or a civil court<\/a>. It would be an industrial tribunal if the case occurs in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n Even so, in most cases the employer would be able to make a counterclaim to the action.<\/p>\n Employment tribunals only deal with claims and counterclaims if they:<\/p>\n Note<\/strong>: You cannot connect this type of claim or counterclaim to a personal injury. This also includes certain types of contractual terms such as the rights of intellectual property and your work<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n As a rule, employees must make their claim to a tribunal within 3 months of losing their employment. Employers get 6 weeks from the time they receive a copy of the claim to choose whether to make a counterclaim.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The tribunal may award compensation if they agree with the claim made by the employee. But, compensation can only be for a financial loss such as non-payment of salary. The maximum award compensation limit for this type of claim is \u00a325,000.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nStep 1: Getting the Agreement<\/h2>\n
\nRole of Employers<\/h3>\n
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\nRole of Employees<\/h3>\n
\nStep 2: Making Changes to the Contract<\/h2>\n
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\nCollective Agreement<\/h5>\n
Flexibility Clauses<\/h5>\n
Changing Your Employer<\/h5>\n
Disciplinary Measures and Demotion<\/h5>\n
\nStep 3: Dealing with Contractual Problems<\/h2>\n
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\nSolving an Employment Contract Dispute<\/h5>\n
\n Telephone:028 9032 1442<\/a>
\n Monday to Friday: 9am to 5pm
\n Not all call charges are free in the United Kingdom<\/a>.<\/p>\nMaking Contract Changes without Agreement<\/h5>\n
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Re-employing Staff on New Terms and Conditions<\/h5>\n
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Employee Claim for Breach of Contract<\/h5>\n
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Tribunal Time Limit<\/h5>\n
Award Compensation Limit<\/h5>\n
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