Contract job offer withdrawn after it was accepted

[Blackdiamond]

Hi,

I have recently been offered a contract job. After accepting the contract I have signed my resignation of my permanent job. But now the agency have came back and told that the client has retracted the job offer and they dont want my service. My contract clauses says that either party can give 20 working days notice to the other.

Can some one tell me if it is allowed to withdraw the contract job offer after I have electronically accepted the contract?
Although the assignment commences only after 3 weeks, now the agency has sent me another contract which is just a notice ( 20 days notice) and tells me that the last working day is actually the same date as my first working day. They also told that I just need to accept the notice and I dont need to work.

Can a agency give notice before the assignment starts? I thought that once the contract is accepted they cant withdraw the job offer. Even if they withdraw the job offer, I thought that they have to atleast give me 20 working days notice from the assignment commencing date. Is there anything legally I can do? The client is one of the big challenger banks in UK and europe.

[MrButton]

Have a look through this forum for threads about notice periods and termination.

Unfortunately as a contractor you generally don’t have any rights to a paid notice period, as the client isn’t obliged to provide you with work.

Weird that they sent you a new contract for your notice.

[Fred Bloggs]

Happens more often than you might imagine. Go out and find your next contract, put that one behind you.

[jmo21]

You’ve just learned how different contracting is.

It might feel unfair, but you are no longer an employee.

[GreenMirror]

Have they given you any reason why? It is probably nothing to do with you but worth asking.

Sadly all you can do is move on.

[Lance]

It's not a job offer. It's a contract. With a 20 day termination clause. Which the agency have used to terminate the agreement. Nothing more to say.

/thread

[Blackdiamond]

Have they given you any reason why? It is probably nothing to do with you but worth asking.

Sadly all you can do is move on.

Thanks for your reply. The client didn't give any reason. But before they released the contract all the credit check and DBS security checks has been performed by the agent and it came positive. All that I am aware of is that client has recently asked all their current contractors to reduce their day rate by 10%. Also they are trying to push all the contractors to become permanent staff. I think the manager is aware of this situation. on the contrary view I think that they could have got another contractor whose rate was cheaper than my rate.

[GreenMirror]

Thanks for your reply. The client didn't give any reason. But before they released the contract all the credit check and DBS security checks has been performed by the agent and it came positive. All that I am aware of is that client has recently asked all their current contractors to reduce their day rate by 10%. Also they are trying to push all the contractors to become permanent staff. I think the manager is aware of this situation. on the contrary view I think that they could have got another contractor whose rate was cheaper than my rate.

Or they have turned it into a permanent post? It seems common in banks - managers drop in, say they will save millions, then leave before the downside becomes apparent. Then take their "success" to another bank.