Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Employment lawTUPE

Putting TUPE transferees on standard contracts

by Personnel Today 28 May 2009
by Personnel Today 28 May 2009

Q My company has recently acquired a new business and 50 of its employees transferred to us under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations. We want to put these employees on our standard employment contracts. What are the issues we should consider?

A A crucial aspect of the protection afforded by TUPE is that employees transfer on their existing employment terms. TUPE places strict limits on post-transfer contract change and specifically addresses when such variations can and cannot occur:

  • Where the reason for changed terms is the transfer itself, TUPE makes such changes void.
  • Where the reason is connected with the transfer but is also an economic, technical or organisational (ETO) reason entailing changes to the workforce, TUPE provides that such changes are effective if agreed.
  • Agreed variations that are unconnected with the transfer are also effective.

An employer aiming to harmonise terms after a TUPE transfer faces an uphill struggle. The consequent contractual changes will be connected with the transfer and are unlikely to fall into the ETO reason category. As such, strictly, straightforward post-transfer harmonisation is not possible. In particular, note that employees cannot contract out of the protection of TUPE and so even an employee who agrees to post-transfer contractual change can subsequently change their mind and seek to rely on their previous employment terms such as, for example, entitlement to an enhanced redundancy payment.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Some practical solutions for an employer determined to implement a post-transfer harmonisation exercise are:

  • To avoid unfavourable changes and, if possible, equalise terms upwards
  • To implement new terms for all employees (and not just those who have transferred) and/or to delay implementation with a view to breaking the link with the transfer
  • To ensure employees have a genuine choice whether or not to accept changes so that, arguably, the reason for the variation is employee choice rather than the transfer
  • To terminate employment for an ETO reason and offer immediate re-employment on new terms. Potential claims arising from the termination should be waived via a compromise agreement. There is doubt as to whether such a compromise agreement would be effective, on the basis that it attempts to contract out of TUPE. Employees, however, who have signed an agreement and accepted new terms are perhaps unlikely to challenge this position later.

Guy Lamb, employment partner, DLA Piper

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
Employers’ views sought on ‘fit note’ proposals
next post
BT under fire for big bonus payouts to executives

You may also like

Fire and rehire: the relocation question

22 May 2025

Minister defends Employment Rights Bill at Acas conference

16 May 2025

CBI chair Soames accuses ministers of not listening...

16 May 2025

EHRC bows to pressure and extends gender consultation

15 May 2025

Contract cleaner loses EAT race discrimination appeal

14 May 2025

Construction workers win compensation claim against defunct employer

9 May 2025

Zero-hours workers’ rights to be extended from beyond...

8 May 2025

Employment tribunal backlog up 23% in a year

7 May 2025

Ministers urged to outlaw misuse of NDAs

7 May 2025

Employment Rights Bill must be tightened to protect...

1 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+