contract of employement

[jody3008]

is it legel to have a contract of employement?
my boyfriend has not got one and is constantly being told he has to work 12-15 hour days, work every weekend and is on call but doesnt get paid for it!
there has been NO documents shown to him to say what his employer expects, rate of pay, holiday entitlement etc.

[Buenchico]

By law, all employees must receive a written 'statement of employment particulars' within two months of starting work:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employe es/EmploymentContractsAndConditions/DG_1002790 5

No employee should be required to work more than 48 hours per week unless he/she has voluntarily entered into a written agreement, with the employer, to work for longer:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employe es/WorkingHoursAndTimeOff/DG_10029426

There is no limit to the number of hours which can be worked in a single day. However, there must be a minimum 11 hour interval between the completion of one day's duties and the start of the next. There should be either a weekly break of 24 hours without any work, or a fortnightly one of 48 hours:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employe es/WorkingHoursAndTimeOff/DG_10029451

(As will be seen from those links, more stringent rules apply to workers under 18 years of age).

For further advice on relevant legislation, start here:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employe es/WorkingHoursAndTimeOff/index.htm

Chris