Contract not available to employees

[contractquery]

It has come to light that my employer is unable to provide staff with a copy of our new contract as it's not yet complete.... Does this mean our old T&C should still apply until we are provided with our new ones?

Due to a change in terms and conditions our contract has been changed, this change was implemented in April.
Staff have recently tried to obtain a full copy of the new contract to clarify numerous points but have been advised by HR they cannot provide this due to the contracts still being worked on.

According to HR this was agreed by the Union (implementation of the change without the full contract being complete), they are unable to provide a date for when the contracts will be completed and they are not able to clarify the issue we require information on.

I'm at a loss to where we stand at this point so looking for any advice anyone may have.

If the change and the implementation date were agreed by unions after negotiations and it’s a unionised workplace then I’d suggest contacting your union and asking for the wording they’ve agreed to on your behalf.

This has been requested today along with further clarification from senior management who are apparently unaware of this issue.

Our union are notoriously bad at communicating which is part of the problem.

While awaiting the full details of what the new contract states and what changes have been negotiated via the unions, if there are aspects that differ in the new contract that staff haven't been communicated clearly about, for example "start time will be 8.30:am" when previously it was 9.00 am, the employer would be foolish to take issue with, or try to start proceedings against employees for being late to work.

That's an example, but it's to highlight that a contract of employment is an agreement between parties and it's a communication tool. If staff are left in the dark, or unclear about their obligations due to the change, the onus is on the employer to take steps to ensure clarity, if they want a stable motivated workforce.

If the union did agree to this then the problem is with your union not HR.

If the union didn't agree then the problem is much bigger.