Contract refresh — current vs proposed
Comparison of representative signed contracts vs the 2026 refresh proposals. Snapshot 2026-05-18.
Headline
Today every staff member signs one long contract of ~38 sections, almost identical regardless of role. The new pack splits this into a shorter contract, a role-specific addendum where relevant, and a separate Staff Handbook for everyday workplace rules.
Six material changes
| Theme | Today | Proposed | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday and bank-holiday pay | Paid at the normal hourly rate | Paid at time-and-a-half | gain |
| Short-notice call-out | Paid only for the hours actually worked (could be 1 hr) | Minimum 3 hours guaranteed | gain |
| Real Living Wage (Scotland) floor | Hourly rate tracks the Real Living Wage with annual uplift | Same commitment kept in the new contract | preserved |
| Unused holiday at year-end | Lost (unless on long-term sickness or parental leave) | Up to 40 hours can roll into next year with the Company's consent | gain |
| Notice period for senior roles | 1 month from either side | Employee gives 1 month; Company gives 2 months | gain |
| Post-employment restrictions (bakers) | Every baker signs a 25-mile / 6-month non-compete | Only Senior and Head Bakers sign it (the new Senior Bakers Addendum) | gain |
By contract type
| Type | Sample | Key shifts |
|---|---|---|
| Baker | Donald Kerr 2023 → new Permanent Employment Contract | Contract shortens from 38 to 22 sections. Junior bakers no longer sign a non-compete. Training repayment can only apply where agreed in writing before training starts. Sunday and bank-holiday hours paid at time-and-a-half. |
| Driver | Roy Grant 2023 → new Permanent Employment Contract + Drivers Addendum | Annualised-hours arrangement preserved. New driver-specific obligations: annual licence check, daily vehicle walk-around, same-day accident reporting. Three-hour minimum payment for short-notice call-outs. |
| Operations Manager | Sean Mackenzie 2026 → new Permanent Employment Contract | The two parallel "annualised" and "non-annualised" versions collapse into one contract with a conditional clause. Senior notice tier means the Company gives 2 months on dismissal. |
| Packer (regular) | Caledonia Jeffrey + Ronin Walker → Permanent Employment Contract (Template A) | All regular rota packers move to Template A — correct classification for staff with fixed weekly shifts. Minimum 3 hours guaranteed per shift (§4.10). 48h shift-cancellation notice clause added (§4.11). Template B (zero-hours) reserved for genuinely seasonal workers only. |
What moves out of the contract — into the new WHB Staff Handbook
The current contract carries about a dozen operational sections that are really about day-to-day workplace rules rather than employment terms. These move into a new WHB Staff Handbook, which the contract references. The Company can update the Handbook with at least two weeks' written notice of any material change.
Examples of what moves to the Handbook: disciplinary process, grievance process, anti-bullying, dress code, smoking, drugs & alcohol, health & safety, food safety, personal hygiene, social media and IT, code of conduct.
Two policies stay inside the contract because they protect staff rights: the Equal Opportunities Policy and the Whistleblowing Policy. Material changes to either require staff consent.
5 staff need Track A 1:1 before issue
| Staff | Material reason |
|---|---|
| Kevin Moore (Head Baker) | The new Senior Bakers Addendum introduces post-employment restrictions (non-compete, confidentiality on recipes, IP) that did not exist in his current contract. |
| Heather Goodfellow (Senior Baker) | Same as above — the Senior Bakers Addendum adds restrictions she has not previously signed. |
| Reuben Chesney (Senior Baker) | Same as above. Reuben also has no current contract on file, so this is effectively a first-time contract for him as well. |
| Caledonia Jeffrey | Her current contract is labelled "casual" but actually gives her 9 guaranteed hours per week, which is an employment relationship. The new contract must preserve those guaranteed hours rather than move her to the Casual Worker Agreement. |
| Timothy Brown (Assistant Ops) | Only an unsigned 2023 draft is on file. This is effectively a first-time contract issuance, not a refresh of existing terms. |
Recommended actions
- Confirm Sean Mackenzie's contract type. We have assumed he moved from annualised salary to hourly + on-call from 9 February 2026. If he is still annualised, this can be reverted in one edit.
- Hold the five one-to-one meetings listed above before issuing the affected contracts.
- ✓ Confirmed (2026-05-25): time-and-a-half on Sundays and bank holidays (§4.6), and three-hour minimum shift payment for packers and drivers (§4.10 / Addendum 1 D3.3).
- Confirm which policies stay inside the contract vs move into the new WHB Staff Handbook. Current draft: Equal Opportunities and Whistleblowing stay inside the contract; everything else (Disciplinary, Grievance, Dress Code, Drugs & Alcohol, Health & Safety, etc.) moves to the Handbook with a two-week notice period for any material change.