Search Results
Sick leave
From one time to another, employing organisations will experience absence by their staff due to illness. Illness absences are usually unplanned. This makes planning and covering work difficult for employers given the short notice of illness occurrences.
Fair Employment (School Teachers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022
This legislation was enacted by the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2022 and came into effect on 12th May 2024.
From this date, it will be unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of religious or philosophical belief or political opinion in respectof the recruitment or promotion of teachers in schools in Northern Ireland.
Prior to 2003, FETO, and its predecessors, did not prohibit discrimination on the grounds of religious or philosophical belief or political opinion in relation to any aspect of the employment of school teachers. That was due to the effects of article 71 of FETO, commonly known as the teachers’ exception.
This situation changed through a process that began in 2003 when an EU equality law, Council Directive 2000/78/EC, required the exception to be modified and
narrowed. As a result, and since then, FETO has prohibited discrimination on its equality grounds in relation to most aspects of the employment of teachers in
schools; e.g. in relation to pay, training, absence and performance management,
dismissal, harassment.
Despite that change, FETO’s prohibition of discrimination did not apply to the recruitment or promotion of teachers in schools due to the continuing effects of one part of the article 71 exception that remained.
The remaining gap in coverage was filled on 12 May 2024 with the inrtoduction of this legislation.
No.367 Fair Employment (specification of public authorities) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2002
This Order amends the 2000 Order of the same name which specifies a number of bodies or persons as public bodies for the purposes of the Fair Employment and Treatment (NI) Order 1998 (see new Schedule).
The National Minimum Wage (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020
The purpose of these regulations is to reduce burdens on businesses employing salaried staff (those paid an annual salary in equal instalments) from complying with the NMW rules, without removing protections or benefits for workers.
Informal actions
Whether it’s the employer who needs to raise an issue with an employee, or an employee who would like to make a complaint to their employer, it is useful to consider in the first instance whether an informal approach could be taken to resolve the matter.
No 302 The Labour Relations Agency Arbitration Scheme (Jurisdiction) Order (Northern Ireland) 2012
This Order utilises the power vested in the Department for Employment and Learning to permit the Labour Relations Agency to prepare an arbitration scheme for dealing with disputes which are or could become the subject of industrial tribunal proceedings.
Misconduct and gross misconduct
Disciplinary issues arise when the employer has concerns about an employee’s conduct, absence from work or the way they are performing in their job. They may start a disciplinary procedure which could lead to disciplinary action (including dismissal in more serious cases).
418 Sex Discrimination (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996
The Regulations relate to the remedies that can be granted for cases of sex discrimination and specifically to remedies for indirect discrimination even where the respondent did not intend to treat the claimant unfavourably on sex or marital status grounds.
4 Race Relations (Prescribed Public Bodies) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998
These Regulations prescribe certain public bodies under and for the purposes of Article 71 (5) of the Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 relating to employment rules relevant to service of the Crown or certain public bodies.
No.286 The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide (2007 Act) (Commencement) Order (Northern Ireland) 2012
This Order brings into force on 3rd September 2012 section 2(1)(d) of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007.