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TUPE - any experts out there?

6 replies

PlasticBandit · 23/10/2009 19:19

Our company was taken over, and TUPEs apply. The new company sent a letter to "dear colleague" to the company address, stating that our payment terms were being changed - "please take this as 90 days notice of the change".
We have all responded as signatories to a letter (which I wrote) saying, inter alia;
a) TUPE applies.
b) 90 days notice of change of ts and cs is outside the law - 90 days relates to the notice requirement on the previous contractor to employees when a transfer is going to happen.
c) After TUPE, any changes to ts and cs must be negotiated with and agreed by the workforce/union (we are not in a union).
d) Any change not covered by c) must be a genuine TEO reason, or it is automatically void.
The letter asked the company to rescind the letter about payment changes and to write again to all employees giving the reason(s) why they wanted to make the proposed change, so that we could consider the reasons.

I do hope that the above is correct. If not, then I am blown out of the water. If it is right, and they still try/make the proposed changes, do we have to go to an Industrial Tribunal? If so, how do we do that, when do we do it and is there an alternative?

Many thanks for any opinions.

OP posts:
CHOOGIRL · 23/10/2009 19:39

It depends on the change. Are you able to say what is is? How long ago was the takeover?

PlasticBandit · 23/10/2009 19:51

Hi, the takeover was in April 2009. The change is from the fortnightly pay that we have had for years. The takeover company want to change to four-weekly (lunar monthly) pay.
Any thoughts?

OP posts:
CHOOGIRL · 23/10/2009 20:01

Disclaimer: I'm not an employment lawyer, but have been involved in three large TUPE transfers.

I think the change they are proposing is reasonable. They are not changing your pay as such, just when they pay it.

The last TUPE transfer I was involved in NEWCO changed from paying employees on a certain day every month to every four weeks in line with the rest of the company. Makes sense as you do not want to run separate payroll.

If you are not in a Union did you have an ECB to negotiate the terms of your TUPE transfer?

PlasticBandit · 23/10/2009 20:08

Hi, thank you for that, however, changing from 2 to 4 weekly pay will cause hardship to a number of my workmates (although not me). As I understood TUPE, harmonisation - ie "fitting in" with the rest of the company is not a valid reason for changes to ts and cs.
What is an ECB?

OP posts:
CHOOGIRL · 23/10/2009 20:13

Forgot to mention even though it sounds like the NEWCO would have good economic reasons for making the change, they should really work with the employees to make the transition a smooth one.

billythekid · 13/04/2011 16:35

I was tupe'd 2 years ago and am intrested in signing a new contract for my employer.Will doing this dismiss my right to being tupe'd again if my employer does not regain the contract when its up for renewal?
any help on this senario is much appreciated...thanks :)

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