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Maternity Leave
The law sets out the legal minimum leave entitlements for mothers.
Agreements between employers and employees may provide for better arrangements than the statutory minimum.
Resources
We provide a range of resources to help you navigate employment relations in Northern Ireland.
Please note that on 6 December 2022 we will have moved our Head Office to new premises at James House, 2-4 Cromac Avenue, the Gasworks, Belfast. However, some of our guides and resources may still have our old, Gordon Street address on them. We are systematically working our way through to update them with the new address. Phone numbers (03300 555 300 and 03300 552 220) and email addresses remain the same.
Who is an employee?
There are differences between ‘employees’, ‘workers’ and ‘contractors’. These differences in status can affect rights and responsibilities in the workplace.
Mediation
An independent mediator can sometimes help resolve grievance or disciplinary issues. There is no charge for using the Labour Relations Agency's mediation service.
Leave without pay
There may be circumstances where an employee is required to take unpaid leave from their employment.
Calculating holiday entitlement
A worker is entitled to 5.6 weeks paid annual leave per year. This entitlement starts on the day the employee begins employment.
Escalating unresolved issues
Some issues in the workplace cannot be resolved informally so it is important that there is a fair and clear escalation process where each side meets their responsibilities. The Labour Relations Agency can offer information, flowcharts and codes of practice to help. We also offer confidential and impartial conciliation, mediation and arbitration services to help parties resolve issues without needing to go to tribunal.
The Agency is a public body with statutory responsibilities so there is no charge for our services.
Jury service
Jury service is a public duty.