Can they change my job without me signing a new contract?

[tigi]

I am very cross and unhappy that I am being demoted, with a more boring job, a new job title, and a 'red ringed' salary.
I have been told I am not required to sign a new contract as my terms and conditions remain the same (ie working hours and days etc). I am part time.
My argument is that if I am not signing a contract to change it, can they implement the changes?
I have other issues as well, such as a number of staff are memaining the same, and all part timers are being demoted a lot. I was going to seek union advice about part timer equality issues on this.( i need to join one!_
thank you for any help

Have they made your previous post redundant? ie does that job exist any more? Have you been through a disciplinary procedure?

Check out the department of trade and industry website - they run employment law and have all the info you need. Union is also a good idea. If they are demoting part-timers disproportionately, it's possibly sex discrimination, given that most part-time workers are women.

My job does still exist, but only for a few. They are reducing numbers due to new working practices to make efficient working patterns. All part timers but one are demoted, so that has blown my theory out of the ground. There are far more female workers than male, and no males have reduced roles (prob a ratio of 10:3females/males)

YOu would need to check your existing contract and read it thoroughly, this should tell you if your job can change.

This sounds extremely dodgy. I would contact the CAB or ACAS for more advice.
You say your job still exists, but only for a few - so are you still in the same job?
If not, then it sounds like redundancy and they are just covering it up.
Do you have an HR Department you talk it through with?

Demotion is constructive dismissal, so you have to decide whether to act on this. You have to act quickly, if you just sit there and "accept£ the changes by default, then you undermine the idea that this strieks at the heart of the contract.

"boring" isn't likely to be a useful factor, but change of title is good for your case.

Of course you have to factor in that they can then make you redundant, and that's not going to be good money.
It's not unknown for the dimmer/prettier end of HRs to try and do this as a sort of redundancy programme.
I can't think of anything more useful to say than get your CV ready and start looking now.
This is being badly handled, and HR wouldn't be allowed to do this unless senior managment wasn't up to much heavy duty thinking either.
Hard to see your current firm as having much of a future. Be the first rat to leave.