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Universities: Conditions of Employment

Asked by Justin MaddersLabourDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 25 November 2025UIN 93010

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he has taken to protect university workers' terms and conditions when they are transferred to a subsidiary company.

Answered by Kate Dearden

When a business changes its owner, its employees may be protected under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE). TUPE may also apply when a service transfers to a new provider. If TUPE applies, the employees’ jobs usually transfer over to the new company, and their employment terms and conditions transfer. The new employer cannot change an employee’s terms and conditions if the reason is the transfer itself.

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