Legal advice needed. P/T being forced to go F/T

[nwfxd52]

I currently work 9-3 (27.5 hours per week). My Boss has told me that they can't get any contracts for my P/T hours any more and that I need to increase my hours. I could work 8-4 but I'm not site based so I said I could only work within 30 mins of home. I have spoken to the union, they said that I can;t be made to change the number of hours I do per week but that my work could change my start time. This means that they could make me start at 9 and finish at 5, my children would then be home-alone. Also, the 30mins travel would be a local agreement that they could change when they want, meaning anything up to 2 hours travelling time in addition to my hours, so potentially I might not get home till 7pm and the children would be uncared for for 2 1/2 hours. Can they do this?

What does your contract say about changing hours/changing terms and conditions?

What does 'can't get any contracts for your hours' mean exactly? Is what you do entirely dependent on an external organisation and how does that work?

Technically your consent is required to amend your terms and conditions, however my questions are to establish how much of a business need there genuinely is for this as it is possible to force a change through sometimes, as long as appropriate procedures are followed and there is a genuine need to do so.

Why would your children be home alone? Is there no childcare available where you are? No childminders, after school clubs, family? I just think it sounds a bit emotive to say your children will be abandoned at home alone if your employer changes your hours, when what you actually mean is you don't want use childcare/are not happy about the additional expense you would incur.