Hi all, if you are given a contract to sign by your employer & there are parts of it that you don’t agree with , do you have to sign it ?
Or can you just sign the parts you are happy with?
And if you don’t sign it at all, or only part of it , are you still allowed to work for the company , and , or will the company still let you work for them ?
what are the benefits or negatives on this ?
All your views gratefully appreciated please
bonnie lass:
Hi all, if you are given a contract to sign by your employer & there are parts of it that you don’t agree with , do you have to sign it ?Or can you just sign the parts you are happy with?
And if you don’t sign it at all, or only part of it , are you still allowed to work for the company , and , or will the company still let you work for them ?
what are the benefits or negatives on this ?
All your views gratefully appreciated please
Firstly if your not happy with any part/s of the contract you need to take this up with your employer. if they are unwilling to change amend the contract then the contract will be void as will your employment most probably.
It’ll be this is our game our rules take it or leave it.
As the above. Also of you continue to work for the company you have deemed to have accepted the contract, even without signing it.
You don`t mention if the contract is significantly different to the one you signed when you first started with the Company.
As it could possibly make a difference if at some time you are sacked and decide to go to court for unfair dismissal
Its not a contract, its the terms and conditions of your employment by the organisation. Sign or dont sign it doesn’t really matter as said above if you stay you accept. Its a statement really of your obligations to each other and what is required of you as part of your continued employment! All you need to know is that you no longer have any employment rights that matter. If you dont like this or that find another job!
Happy days!
What is it they say “My way, or highway”?
Thing is, employers can change people’s terms of contract at anytime they want. Your continued employment will depend on you accepting those terms or getting another job.
You can always go down the employment tribunal route, but unless those changes present serious risk of injury to yourself or others, or are based on discrimination on age or gender etc, it won’t realistically lead anywhere.
The advice you’re asking for is beyond the capabilities of members of this forum. Google “signing contract of employment” will give you a clearer picture as will speaking to ACAS. It’s free.
Just avoid employers trying it on with crooked intent. The past 20 years has seem sucessive governments take a more “hands off” when dealing with their relationship with the business community. The result? - More new business start-ups in this day and age involve either HUGE investment of capital (which not everyone has to start with) OR they can work out some way of working a crooked scheme within the law to fleece both staff and customers, knowing that the current lax legislative environment put in place over the past decades will “leave them to it”.
Note how the chattering class employer for instance feels “hard done by” over paying taxes, but is quite happy to fiddle both theirs (to pay less) and their employees (to get away with paying them less) - all in the name of “business efficiency”.
Businesspeople and crooks are divided apart by a line called “The Law”. The trouble is, this line keeps moving about, and rarely stands still. What’s ‘crooked’ this week can become perfectly legal and common business practice next week. Rarely does the line move the other way though, not at the ground floor level at least. When was the last time you heard of the cleaner or binman winning a million in compensation for “unfair dismissal” or “■■■■■■ harassment” etc? It tends to be white collar people rather than blue collar that win the big money. “Personal damages & injury” on the other hand, seems to be the area where blue collar people can better pit their wits… If we’re all equal in the eyes of the law, why does a skivvy getting killed in an accident get a lower payout than a lawyer or banker?
They are obviously worth more than us, by their own decree as lawmakers with their hands on the pursestrings. Reverse emancipation I call it. They’ve elevated themselves - so what have we, at the bottom become? - Serfs? Latter-day slaves? - Or perhaps just “unemployed” and “unemployable” because we don’t want to sign up to all this bull. 
Its do as you like time for employers!
Thanks all for your replies much appreciated 
Hi nick, I will talk to the boss about it, don’t know if they alter the contract though, is it possible that I can sign only the parts i agree to, or is it usually all or nothing?
Hi henk, if I haven’t signed the contract, how are they able to hold me to be responsible within the terms of the contract? With no signature i havnt accepted their terms & conditions, previous work done for them with no contract .
Hi lollipop, I have worked for a few companies without having signed a contract including this one, I’m happy here & get on well with the work & everyone else too. It would be a pity if this contract was to spoil things. And if I was ever to be sacked for any reason unfairly, I wouldn’t want to remain working in the same place if found in my favour.
Hi Fred there’d, both me and them know what is required of both parties, the problem I have is with some parts of the contract , which could result inleave me in a serious financial loss through no fault of my own!!!
Hi liberty guy, I am hoping that we can sort out the negative side in a positive way, and if not , well…watch this space!!
Hi DrivingMissDaisy, thanks for the advice, sounds like a good idea, I will give them a call .
Hi winseer, thanks for the insight, I 'm taking it all on board.
Hi robbo, yes they trying don’t they.
take it away. scan it, change it, print it, sign it, get the employer to sign it. hey presto, you’re the new managing director. 
DrivingMissDaisy:
The advice you’re asking for is beyond the capabilities of members of this forum. Google “signing contract of employment” will give you a clearer picture as will speaking to ACAS. It’s free.
speak for yourself 
I ain’t no thick Screw driver! 
good advice on Google and ACAS! 
robbo99:
Its do as you like time for employers!
NO IT’S NOT YELLOWBELLIES need not apply! think
Full employment rights now in force after 2 years employment, the government managed to add an extra 12 months to what was one year, so firms now can hire you and fire you over a much longer period of time with the worker having very little rights, apart from the usual inadmissible reasons for dismissal, ie trade union membership,■■■■■■ discrimination,race or colour, pregnancy, h&s and a few others.
Unions in general, unless highly represented in a company, have very little clout, contracts can be altered and unless it is a near on complete change to your original contract then theres not a lot you can do and the vast use of Agencies mean it is an employers market by far.
Oh yes and not forgetting the fees the government also nicely introduced for workers making a claim to a tribunal, it can now cost the worker upto £1200 just to go through a tribunal, I think its employers do as you like time!
robbo99:
Full employment rights now in force after 2 years employment, the government managed to add an extra 12 months to what was one year, so firms now can hire you and fire you over a much longer period of time with the worker having very little rights, apart from the usual inadmissible reasons for dismissal, ie trade union membership,■■■■■■ discrimination,race or colour, pregnancy, h&s and a few others.
Unions in general, unless highly represented in a company, have very little clout, contracts can be altered and unless it is a near on complete change to your original contract then theres not a lot you can do and the vast use of Agencies mean it is an employers market by far.
NOT IF YOU WITHDRAW YOUR LABOUR! think
Granted, that would solve all the above mentioned posts! But getting back to the real world, that to a lot of people is just not going to happen, so it still remains an employers market wether I drive a truck or I dont!
I think even if you don’t sign after thirteen weeks of continuous employment you come under the contract regardless
If a contract of employment can be changed by one side without the consent of the other (re-signing it is supposed to “represent consent” - right?) then we might as well ALL be on zero hours contracts, because at least we can then turn down the crappy work we don’t want, rather than be told “We’re upping your working week to 5x11 hours, and times are 'ard, so we’ll carry on paying you the 40 hours a week wage that you’re on now…”
I’ll show myself the door thanks…
I’m sure if I turned up one morning with a new bit of paper with me down for a 20% increment as of monday, I’d get laughed out of the office - anywhere!
Contracts that are one-sided are not contracts - They’re indentured servitude. 
limeyphil:
take it away. scan it, change it, print it, sign it, get the employer to sign it. hey . presto, you’re the new managing director.
Might have a go! But forget the managing director bit!! Lol
Hi fatboy slimslow, Acas sounds like a good idea, I’ll give them a call.
Hi robbo, I though the two year equal rights thingy was altered & everyone was on equal ground for employees work rights. There is supposed to be a drivers representative but never to be seen . I wouldn’t bother with a tribunal if it is going to cost me that sort of money, i will see if we can reach agreement after I check things with acas.
Hi Mrmack, I don’t know if that is right or not although I can’t see it standing if it is not signed for as accepted.
Hi slack bladder, thanks for the link , where did you find that? I only managed to get a bit of it open.
Hi winseer, good point. I don’t see how a contract can be signed by only one side & stand !.