Mate of mine was in a tribunal last month in Newcastle
He worked for a haulage company out of Philidelphia in Houghton le Spring, he arrived back at the yard and him and 2 other drivers were told to clear out their cabs as there was not enough work for them. The boss also told them they wouldn’t be getting any notice they were finished that day, they went to Citizens Advice who handled the case, the boss then tried to claim that the 3 of them refused to sign a contract which he couldn’t even produce to the Tribunal.
Needless to say the Boss lost and the 3 drivers were awarded loss of earnings etc, so not having a contract makes no difference at the end of the day. 