TUPE: Your Rights When Your Employer Changes

TUPE — the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 — protects UK employees when the business they work for is sold, merged, outsourced or brought back in-house. Your job, your contract terms, and your continuous service transfer automatically to the new employer.

When TUPE Applies

TUPE covers two situations: business transfers, where a business or part of one is sold and keeps its identity; and service provision changes, where a service such as cleaning, IT or catering is outsourced, moved between contractors, or insourced.

What TUPE Protects

• Your contract transfers as-is — salary, holiday and hours stay the same
• Your continuous service is preserved for redundancy and unfair dismissal rights
• Dismissal because of the transfer itself is automatically unfair (2+ years' service)
• Contract changes made because of the transfer are void
• You must be informed and consulted before the transfer — failure can cost the employer up to 13 weeks' pay per employee

TUPE Guides and Tools

• Am I covered by TUPE? — free eligibility checker
• Redundancy during a TUPE transfer
• Your TUPE consultation rights
• Can I refuse to transfer?
• TUPE FAQs — 10 questions answered