Changing Contract Hours

[GypsyGSD]

The company I work for are cutting hours and changing contracts in line with this change this is mostly affecting part time workers some have been tuped over about a year ago , As yet no new contracts have been issued or seen by employees but the reduction in hours has already been put in place can the company do this without issuing new contracts first thanks gypsy

[boxtops]

There needs to be a period of consultation about changing hours etc., but it's a sad fact of TUPE that you move over on the same T&Cs, but the company are free to change their own arrangements as soon as they like after that.

[factor-fiction]

If they have gone through the consultation process, given the required notice and notified you of the changes in writing then you can consider the contract to have been changed, but for a substantial change like this I think they should issue a new contract pretty quickly

[GypsyGSD]

none of what you have mentioned has been done at the moment the changes are all verbal but are being put in place this is not a small company but it has a history of not doing what they are contracted to do the reasons for the changes are they cannot afford to carry on as they are within my section no other departments are effected this is spread out over the country so contact with other workers is not a option

[buildersmate]

I think it is pretty unusual that a big company implements such a change after consultation but before writing to each employer what the keys changes are to the contract. By key, in this case I mean a change in your hours or your pay or your location of work.
You know your companies reputation better than we do, but if this happened to me I would escalate in the following order (least to most dramatic):
1) Request a meeting with my manager at which I would state that I do not feel it is reasonable to change my key terms of employment without confirming in writing first. Keep notes of that meeting.
2) Use the Grievance Procedure to raise a grievance that my key terms are being changed without confirmation in writing and this is unreasonable. At least this should escalate to powers that be above who might take a different approach.
3) Refuse to change my hours, and see what happens. One outcome is that I might get suspended on full pay pending a disciplinary investigation. I can then state my case as above.

[GypsyGSD]

to be honest this company is a joke but what has happened so far 2 part time workers 1 agency worker who has now been finished off 40 work hours reduced to 30 and we have to do the work of the agency there has been 2 meetings with the manager and hr person who have basically said if you don't like it you can leave the changes will happen nothing in writing as yet about change of hours or no new contract issued just reduced hours this is happening in 326 places all having hours reduced or made redundant but we are not in a position to contact other employees help builders mate or others

[GypsyGSD]

to add the manager has had enough and looking for another job so not really interested

[buildersmate]

Whether your manager is interested in your welfare or not, if you are interested in trying to protect your current job (or maximise the opportunity to extract money if you are forced to leave through redundancy or unfair dismissal) I suggest you consider doing something of this sort. And your line manager is the right place to start the process - you are employed by the company, not your manager, so it is the corporate entity that has to ensure it follows a reasonable set of procedures, from your disgruntled manager upwards.
Singling-out part-timers for dismissal (redundancy?) solely because they are part-timers generally is unfair; contract workers unfortunately would be expected to be the ones to be shifted in any downsizing.