Work want to change my contract before agreed date.

[Fruityflapjack]

I will try and keep it brief and I hope this is the right place to post.

I have been on maternity leave since January 2013. Leave finished at the end of January 2014. I then had 8.2 weeks of annual leave to take.

Currently in a 37.5 hour week role. In December I applied for flexible working to reduce to 30 hours per week on return from maternity leave. The formal meeting was in January. My request was rejected due to 'service need'. After some negotiation we agreed I would reduce my grade and hours to 22.5 hours per week. This would be a move in area also.

Work were aware that I was scheduled for cataract surgery in March and would go onto long term sick leave from my annual leave. During the flexible working meeting I was informed that I would remain on my previous full time role until my return from sick leave. Then my new contract would commence. This was detailed in writing in my meeting outcome letter.

Whilst on sick leave, I have liaised with my old boss and my new one. I organised a meeting with my new boss at the beginning of May to meet and introduce. At mutual agreement, an informal sickness review was also carried out at this time.

During this meeting she informed me that she would be making the contractual changes now. The reason being that when it was agreed that no changes would be made until my return from sick leave, it was anticipated that I would return at the end of may. Now I am not as I need further surgery it needs to be reviewed. It is likely that I will not be able to return until September.

I stopped the meeting at that point as I felt that I needed union representation and support. We now have a meeting scheduled for next Friday, May the 30th.

I need to know if they can do this and if so, how?
What standing does the previous agreement as detailed in my outcome letter have?
Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening?

Many thanks.

[HopefulHamster]

Hello, I am just passing through this section but I know there's an Employment Issues forum too, so maybe you will get more responses there?

[Fruityflapjack]

Is there Hampster? Thanks, I will look for that.