Employment Contracts
Setting it down on paper
Rarely is one employer’s contract the same as another, whether it is through the terms of conditions or employee rights. A contract is a legally binding document signed by both the employee and employer to state agreed terms. The contract can set out the hours of work, salary or hourly rate, as well as other more complex details (or "small print").
Contractual disagreements
In the event that an employee should find a problem within their contract and wish to resolve the issue, it is always advised to attempt to settle the matter internally. Should this not be possible, an alternative is to contact the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Services (ACAS) for advice and assistance. An employee could also seek help from a representative trade union official.
Disagreements or problems in relation to contractual agreements can, in the last instance, warrant a claim to an employment tribunal.
Contract to provide services
When an employee works under a 'contract to provide services' or a 'contract for services' they are effectively self-employed and delivering a service, rather than an employee of the countersignatory.
A contract can be verbal when the worker is freelance. Agency workers often operate under a 'contract for services' and, since agencies are an employment business, they are therefore legally obligated to provide workers with a written contract.
New employment
In any new employment, an employer must present the employee with a standard or revised contract of employment. The contract does not have to be written but, in the event that it is, it must be signed and dated in two forms, for both parties’ records, and in the event of employment through an agency or organisation, a third original copy must be signed, dated and retained in the employee’s file. The employee is entitled to a written contract within two months of work, though a verbal contract is an acceptable alternative should the employee not desire a written copy.
The subject of contracts can be vast and expansive, and an employee's contract and contractual rights can depend on their type of employment. Please see below:
All about employment contracts
When someone is offered a job and he accepts that job, he enters into a contract of employment with his employer. The employment contract contains all of the terms which both the employer and the employee are required to observe during the course of the employment, and is legally binding.
Make your contract of employment work
A contract of employment is a legal requirement for all employees who wish to legally work for an employer. Although required by law, a contract of employment will not necessarily be given in writing between the two parties, although it will remain a valid contract.
The employment contract - a vital necessity
An employment contract is an agreement made between an employer and employee which will dictate the terms of the employment between the two parties.