What is the Impact of Industrial Action on Statutory and Contractual Employment Rights?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 07/02/2023 Currently within Northern Ireland, as in the rest of the UK, there has been an increase in industrial action following complaints of unsatisfactory working conditions, including pay. Industrial action is considered a last resort for employees where a dispute cannot be resolved through negotiation. ...

What are the Rights for an Employee who is Suffering Domestic Abuse?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 07/02/2023 In August 2022, the Labour Relations Agency published a ‘Safe at Home, Safe at Work’ guide which focused on how employers can support and assist employees that are suffering from domestic abuse and violence. There has been a pressing need to focus on this issue since the COVID-19 pandemic and parti...

Do Employees have a Right to Request Remote Working?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 07/02/2023 Yes, employees have a right to request remote working from their employer under Article 112F of the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996. However, they must satisfy certain criteria to be eligible to do so: the individual must be an employee – agency workers and office holder do not hav...

What are an Employee’s Rights when they Suffer the Death of a Child?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 07/02/2023 An employee is entitled to take time off work if they have a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy or if their child dies before turning 18. Under the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, an employee is entitled to two weeks’ parental bereavement leave regardless of th...

Harpur Trust v Brazel Case – Implications for Employers

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 01/11/2022 In light of the judgment in Harpur Trust v Brazel, how do you calculate holiday pay for workers on permanent contracts with no regular working hours (i.e. zero-hours)? The UK Supreme Court in Harpur Trust v Brazel [2022] UKSC 21 removed the widely accepted method of calculating holiday pay in a una...

Salary Increase Instead of Pension Contributions – Can an Employer do This?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 01/11/2022 Can an employer increase salary instead of making pension contributions - where the employee requests that they do so? The risk that is run in this situation is whether a salary increase as a result of withdrawal from a pension scheme would be considered inducement under section 54 of the Pensions ...

What Issues Should an Employer Consider if an Employee Takes a Second Job?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 01/11/2022 During the cost of living crisis, it is likely employees may ask to take on a second job to manage their finances. There are issues when it comes to having multiple jobs surrounding wellbeing and health and safety concerns for employees. Wellbeing - Financial worries will impact on employees mental...

Cost of Living Crisis – Employment Issues Arising?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 01/11/2022 What employment law issues should be on an employer's radar with the looming cost of living crisis? With the cost of living crisis looming and impacting employees there are a number of different employment law issues that employers should be focusing on. Communication and engagement and make sure s...

What Is The Difference Between Direct Discrimination And Indirect Discrimination?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 04/10/2022 Direct discrimination is described as treating someone ‘less favourably’ than other people on the grounds of a protected characteristic. Indirect discrimination is where workplace rules or arrangements apply equally to everyone, but inadvertently puts someone with a protected characteristic at a d...

What are the Different Types of Discrimination in Northern Ireland?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 04/10/2022 There are a number of different types of discrimination. Direct discrimination is where an employee is treated less favourably by their employer on the basis of a protected characteristic. Examples of protected characteristics are age, sex, race, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief or ...