First Tuesday Q&A

The claimant was dismissed by reason of gross misconduct and in particular.

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

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 10/03/2023 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...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Leave Family Friendly Rights Wellbeing

If a woman takes shared parental leave (SPL), is she entitled to return to the same job when she returns to work between discontinuous blocks of leave?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 10/03/2023 Whilst shared parental leave (SPL) must be taken in complete weeks, it can be taken as one continuous period or in discontinuous periods. When returning to work after a period of SPL (or any combination of SPL, Statutory Maternity Leave or Statutory Adoption Leave) of 26 weeks or less, the employee...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Leave

Are employees Entitled to take time off for IVF appointments?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 10/03/2023 There is currently no specific statutory right to time off for IVF treatment, but employees can still ask you for time off. If this cannot be accommodated in the circumstances, you might wish to offer the employee the option of taking annual leave instead to attend such appointments. The Equality C...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Policies and Procedures Leave Family Friendly Rights

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...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Contracts of Employment Leave

What is 'safe leave’ and what does this mean for employees who have experienced domestic abuse?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 03/05/2022 Northern Ireland has become the first jurisdiction in the United Kingdom to provide support to victims of domestic abuse at work. Legislation has been introduced and is awaiting Royal Assent to provide employees who are victims of domestic abuse with the right of up to ten days of paid leave a year...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Policies and Procedures Leave

What notice should employees give in order to take parental bereavement leave?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 01/03/2022 The rules regarding notification will be set out in the forthcoming regulations. However, by way of indication, we expect that that new rules will largely correspond with those applicable in Great Britain. In order to take parental bereavement leave in Great Britain, employees must give the employe...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Policies and Procedures Pay Leave Family Friendly Rights

Parental Bereavement Leave - What protections rights does an employee have?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 01/03/2022 Parents taking parental bereavement leave will be entitled to the same employment protections as those associated with other forms of family related leave i.e. maternity, paternity, adoption, parental and shared parental leave. This will include protection from detriment and dismissal as a result o...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Leave Family Friendly Rights

What is the rate of paid parental bereavement leave and how will it be calculated?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 01/03/2022 Employees on parental bereavement leave may also be entitled to statutory parental bereavement pay if they can satisfy certain statutory eligibility criteria. In summary, the employee must: Be in employed by you for a continuous period of at least 26 weeks; Remain in that employment at least until...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Pay Leave Family Friendly Rights

Who is entitled to parental bereavement leave under the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 01/03/2022 On 7 February 2022, the Northern Ireland Assembly passed the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill. It is anticipated that the new legislation will come into effect in April 2022, once the Bill has received Royal Assent and when further details have been set out in the accompanying regulations....
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Pay Leave Family Friendly Rights

What rights do employers have to claim a refund of Statutory Sick Pay paid to employees under the current legislation?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 01/02/2022 Under the Statutory Sick Pay (Coronavirus) (Funding of Employers’ Liabilities) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2022, small and medium size employers can reclaim some or all of their Statutory Sick Pay costs from HMRC. Under the legislation, the ‘eligible employer’ is the one who on the 30th November...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Leave