Living and Working in Britain
David Hampshire
Living and Working in Britain, first published in 1991 and now in its 7th edition, is the most comprehensive and accurate book available about daily life – and is essential reading for newcomers. What's it really like Living and Working in Britain? Not surprisingly, there's a lot more to life than castles, cricket and crumpets. This book is guaranteed to make your life in Britain easier and more enjoyable, irrespective of whether you're planning to stay for a few months or indefinitely. Adjusting to day-to-day-life in Britain just got a whole lot simpler!
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Extracts from the book…
Contract of Employment
Under British law, a contract of employment exists as soon as an employee proves his acceptance of an employer’s terms and conditions of employment, e.g. by starting work, after which the employer and employee are bound by the terms offered and agreed.
The contract isn’t always in writing, although under the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 (as amended), and the Part-time Workers Prevention of Unfavourable Treatment Act 2000, an employer must provide employees with a written statement containing certain important terms of employment, and additional notes, e.g. regarding discipline and grievance procedures. This must be done within two months of starting work.
A written contract of employment should usually contain all the terms and conditions agreed between the employer and employee. No distinctions exist between full-time and part-time workers with regard to their rights in the workplace.
You usually receive two copies of your contract of employment (which may be called a ‘statement of terms and conditions’ or an ‘offer letter’), both of which you should sign and date. One copy must be returned to your employer or prospective employer, assuming you agree with the terms and want the job, and the other (usually the original) is for your personal records. There are generally no hidden surprises or traps for the unwary in a British contract of employ¬ment although, as with any contract, you should know exactly what it contains before signing it. If your knowledge of the English language is imperfect, you should ask someone to explain anything you don’t understand in simple English (British companies rarely provide foreign¬ers with contracts in a language other than English).
Your contract (or statement) of employment must contain the following details:
- Names of the employer and employee;
- The date employment begins, and whether employment with a previous employer counts as part of the employee’s continuous period of employment;
- Job title;
- Place or places of work and the employer’s address;
- Salary details, including overtime pay and piece-rates, commission, bonuses and agreed salary increases or review dates;
- When the salary is to be paid, e.g. weekly or monthly;
- Hours of work;
- Details of any collective agreement/s which affect terms and conditions;
- Holiday and public holiday entitlements and pay;
- Sickness and accident benefits;
- Pension scheme details, including whether a contracting-out certificate under the Pensions Scheme Act 1993 is in force or not;
- Probationary and notice periods (or the expiry date, if employment is for a fixed period);
- Disciplinary and grievance procedures (which may be contained in a separate document);
- The person an employee should contact, specified by job description or name, if he’s dissatisfied with a disciplinary decision.
If there are no agreed terms under one or more of the above headings, this must be stated in the contract. Any special arrangements or conditions you’ve agreed with an employer should also be contained in the contract. If all or any of the above particulars are contained in a collective agreement, an employer may refer employees to a copy of this or other documents, such as work rules or handbooks, wage regulation orders, sick pay and pension scheme conditions, and the rules relating to flexible working hours and company holidays. Before signing your contract of employment, you should obtain a copy of any general employment conditions (see below) or documents referred to in the contract, and ensure that you understand them.
Employment is usually subject to satisfactory references being received from your previous employer(s) and/or character references. In the case of a school leaver or student, a reference may be required from the principal of your last school, college or university. For certain jobs, a pre-employment medical examination is required, and periodical examinations may be a condition of employment, e.g. where good health is vital to the safe performance of your duties. If you require a work permit to work in the UK, your contract may contain a clause stating that ‘the contract is subject to a work permit being granted by the authorities’.
Employees must be notified in writing of any changes to their terms and conditions of employment, at the very latest one month before their proposed introduction. This must be done explicitly and, as noted previously, only in agreement with the workforce. Employers cannot just change contractually agreed terms to suit themselves. Failure to provide a contract or the unilateral change of contractual terms are grounds for taking the matter to an Employment Tribunal.
Details of contracts of employment and conditions are contained in the Department of Trade and Industry booklets Written Statement of Employment Particulars (PL700), and Contracts of Employment (PL810). You can download these from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR – formerly the DTI) website (www.berr.gov.uk).
Public Transport
Public transport services in the UK vary from region to region and town to town. In some areas, services are excellent and good value for money, while in others they’re infrequent, slow and expensive. The UK has no unified general transport policy, particularly a long-term strategy that balances the needs of the public transport user against those of the motorist. Consequently, the UK has one of the most congested and ill-planned transport systems in Europe (exacerbated by the disastrous rail privatisation in 1993, which drove even more people onto the roads).
Nevertheless, it isn’t always essential to own a car in the UK, particularly if you live in a large town or city with adequate public transport (and where parking may be impossible, in any case). On the other hand, if you live in a remote village or a town away from the main train and bus routes, it’s usually essential to have your own transport. Public transport is cheaper if you’re able to take advantage of the wide range of discount, combination (e.g. rail, bus, underground and ferry), season and off-peak tickets available.
The UK’s transport ‘system’ is heavily weighted in favour of road transport, and the level of public transport subsidies in the UK is among the lowest in Europe, e.g. in the European Union few countries invest less per head of population in their railways. Despite more people using public transport in London than in any other European city (London has the world’s largest rail and tube network), it has the most expensive public transport of any capital city in Europe, with fares around four times those of Rome and some 15 times more expensive than Budapest. The percentage of travellers using public transport in the UK is, not surprisingly, fairly low, with some 90 per cent of all journeys made by car.
The UK killed off its trams – which in mainland Europe still perform an excellent role midway between a bus and a train – many years ago, although a number of cities have introduced (or are planning to) new metro, light rail transit and supertram systems, and are banning cars from city centres. Many cities and counties promote the use of public transport instead of private cars, although trying to encourage people to travel by public transport has met with little success. One of the biggest problems facing the UK is that it’s much cheaper to run a car than it is to use the railways.
Many regions offer combined bus, train, underground (metro) and ferry passes, and offer special rates for children, students, young people, pensioners, families, the unemployed and those receiving social security benefits, in addition to off-peak travel reductions.
A wealth of information is published by national and local public transport companies, local and county councils, and regional transport authorities, most of which provide a wide range of passes and fares for travellers.
Although primarily intended for tourists, Getting About Britain, is a useful guide to public transport services and fares for the independent traveller (www.gettingaboutbritain.com). Public transport information is also available via a wealth of websites, including www.transportdirect.info, www.traveline.org.uk and www.bbc.co.uk/travelnews.
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PRICE: £14.95
PUBLICATION: February 2009
EDITION: 7th
PAGES: 382
BINDING: paperback
SIZE: 230mm x 155mm
COLOUR PHOTOS: 200+
