Employment contracts law

The main legislation covering employment contracts includes:

Employment rights

The Employment Rights Act 1996 requires employers to provide employees with a written statement of the main terms and conditions of employment, or ensure this information is easily available, within two months after an employee begins working.

Part-time workers

The Employment Protection (Part-time Employees) Regulations 1995 requires employers to provide a written statement of the main terms and conditions of employment to all employees irrespective of whether they are considered to be full- or part-time, including those who work less than eight hours per week.

Working time

The Working Time Regulations 1998 place a statutory limit on working hours for most workers. They require employers to provide paid holiday time, breaks, and minimum rest periods. Some workers, such as transport workers and senior management staff, may be exempt from these regulations. These and other workers have the right to negotiate their working time with the employer individually, through a recognised union representative or a fairly elected workforce representative.

Fixed term workers

As the name implies, the Fixed-term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002 were designed to prevent less favourable treatment for employees on fixed-term contracts.  The Regulations require employers to provide the same terms and conditions of employment to fixed-term workers as comparable permanent employees.

National minimum wage

The Minimum Wage Act 1998 and the Minimum Wage Regulations 1999 govern levels of pay.

Different kinds of contract

Most contracts of employment are for an indefinite period and can be terminated by giving notice in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract or any longer period of entitlement to notice arising from statute (subject to an employee's right not to be unfairly dismissed).

However, short-term contracts and fixed-term contracts specify a limited length of time over which an employee will be working and this in turn affects some of their entitlements.

Other special kinds of contract include zero hours, annualised and casual labour.

Reviewed and updated by the HR Services Partnership - April 2010.

Back to Contracts, Terms and Conditions of Employment.