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Decisions — 2026 Contract Refresh
STATUS (2026-05-17): Both decisions provisionally answered YES. Folded into Template-A §4.6, Template-B §4.4, and Addendum 1 §D3.3 / Template-B §4.3. Revisit if John disagrees — flipping a decision to NO is one edit to each of the affected files.
These items came up during a working-time / overtime review of the contract pack. They are not legally required — the contracts work without them. Each is a recognition / retention practice common in the bakery, hospitality, and small-haulage sectors.
The "raise the bar" rule for the 2026 refresh (new contracts must improve on current) made the case for adopting both. Annual cost is modest (~£500–800 total) and the cover letter can honestly claim improvements.
Decision 1 — Premium pay for hourly staff on Sundays and bank holidays
Status: ✅ YES — adopt 1.5× for Sundays + bank holidays (full, both staff classes)
Lives in:
- Template-A §4.6 (permanent hourly staff)
- Template-B §4.4 (casual workers)
Rationale
- Recognises antisocial / weekend hours that bakery and shop staff regularly take on.
- Common in artisan bakery, hospitality, and small retail.
- Modest cost (~£300–500/yr).
- Removes a downgrade vs current practice for staff who were doing weekends at single time.
Affects
| Staff most affected | Why |
|---|---|
| Shop assistants (Megan, Jana) | Wild Hearth Shop opens weekends |
| Bakers on Saturday/Sunday rotas | Production for Monday orders |
| Evening Packers (casual, Template B) | Same rule applies via Template B |
Reversal cost if changed to NO: edit Template-A §4.6 and Template-B §4.4 to delete the premium clause. No rollout impact pre-issue.
Decision 2 — Minimum 3-hour call-out fee for drivers and casuals
Status: ✅ YES — adopt 3-hour minimum for drivers + all casuals
Lives in:
- Addendum 1 §D3.3 (delivery drivers)
- Template-B §4.3 (casuals — packers and cleaners)
Rationale
- A short-notice call-in costs the worker most of their day in commute and disruption.
- Standard in driving, care, and on-call retail sectors.
- Improves willingness to accept ad-hoc / emergency call-outs.
- Negligible cost (~£150–300/yr).
Affects
| Staff most affected | Why |
|---|---|
| Delivery drivers (Julian, Roy, James, Tim Forge, Connor, Rui, Rianne) | Occasional emergency runs |
| Evening Packers (casual, Template B) | Last-minute shift cover |
| Weekend Cleaners (casual) | Last-minute call-outs |
Reversal cost if changed to NO: edit Addendum 1 §D3.3 and Template-B §4.3 to delete the call-out clause.
Five further questions, not in the original pack, now folded in
The contract analysis surfaced five clauses present in current contracts that had no home in the proposal. All five have been added on the "raise the bar" principle, with assumptions that can be revised:
| Clause | Assumption taken | Lives in |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised hours | Sub-clause activates when offer letter or overrides.yaml flags the arrangement (Roy Grant, Sean Mackenzie today) | Template-A §4.8 |
| Lay-off / short-time | Kept, with stronger consultation requirement (2-week written consultation, monthly review) | Template-A §4.9 |
| Right to work | Made an explicit condition of employment | Template-A §1.3 |
| Private vehicle on Company business | Pre-authorisation + business insurance evidence required | Template-A §3.3 |
| Real Living Wage Scotland floor | Reinstated as a hard floor for hourly staff with annual uplift commitment | Template-A §6.4 |
Discretionary uplifts (§6.5) are explicitly not an annual commitment beyond the RLWS floor.
§16 policy split
The original proposal moved all policies (including Equal Opportunities and Whistleblowing) to non-contractual. On the "raise the bar" principle these two — the policies with the highest staff-protection stakes — are now contractual, while operational policies (Disciplinary, Grievance, Anti-bullying, Social Media, IT, Drug & Alcohol, Food Safety, Personal Hygiene) remain non-contractual with 2-week notice of material change.
How to revise an assumption
Each assumed value above lives in exactly one place. To change:
- Edit the relevant Template or Addendum clause.
- Update this file's Status line for that decision.
- If the change is material, flag the affected staff in the rollout sequencing (
transition-workflow.md).