Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

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.

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.