Q. The owners of the company I work for have just sold their shares to another company of whom I know very little. I am concerned that the new owners may try make me redundant or change my terms & conditions to my detriment. Can they do this?
A. Whenever a company changes hands it is normal for the employees to feel unsettled and to worry about how it might affect them. However, you should not worry about this too much as your contractual terms and conditions will remain completely unaffected. The new owners will stand in exactly the same shoes as the previous owners of the company and they do not have any extra rights or powers to dismiss you or make you redundant.
A contract of employment is like any other legal contract. For it to be legally binding it must be based upon the agreement of both parties. Similarly, for any change to those terms and conditions to be legally binding that change also needs to be agreed by both parties. Your employer cannot change your contract of employment without your agreement.
Furthermore, you cannot be made redundant simply because new owners have taken over. You are still employed by the same company and nothing changes from a legal perspective. So please do not worry unduly. And who knows, it is just possible that things may actually improve with the new owners!
Should you have a queries regarding a legal matter please contact Keith Swan of Patterson, Glenton & Stracey Solicitors by email at ks@pgslaw.co.uk or by telephone on 0808 231 7043. Patterson, Glenton & Stracey have provided legal advice to the people of South Tyneside for over 125 years. For details of their full range of services and to view previous Gazette articles please log on to www.pgslaw.co.uk.
