§ Mr. GrahamTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what statutory provisions regulate the amount of notice employers must give before changing an employee's contract of employment without any discussions; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ForthIn general, the terms and conditions contained in a contract of employment and changes to498W them are a matter for the parties to the contract and are not governed by legislation. Changes to contractual terms can only be made with the consent of both parties unless the contract of employment contains a term allowing the employer to make unilateral changes. An employer may give notice to terminate an existing contract and offer employment on new terms and conditions. In that case the employee will be entitled to the minimum notice laid down by statute or contractual notice, whichever is greater.