Search Results
Hiring
A positive recruitment experience gets the working relationship off to the best start. It is important to follow a number of steps and adopt a best practice approach.
Annual holidays
Most workers - whether part-time or full-time - are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid annual leave. Employers can set the times of the year that leave needs to be taken and workers must give the employer notice when they want to take leave.
Trade unions
The Industrial Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1992 defines a trade union as “an organisation (whether permanent or temporary) which … consists wholly or mainly of workers of one or more descriptions and is an organisation whose principal purposes include the regulation of relations between workers … and employers or employers’ associations.
Pay and wages
Employees and workers receive some form of payment in return for the work they do.
Who is an employee?
There are differences between ‘employees’, ‘workers’ and ‘contractors’. These differences in status can affect rights and responsibilities in the workplace.
Maternity, Paternity and Parental leave
Pregnant employees are entitled to up to one year’s maternity leave. Paternity leave is available if certain criteria are met. Parents are also entitled to 18 weeks’ unpaid leave for each child up to their 18th birthday.
Employment Document Toolkit
Once you are registered you can unlock our free core employment guides to help you build documents, policies and procedures for your own organisation.
Early Conciliation
The Labour Relations Agency provides an Early Conciliation service following a change in NI employment law which took effect on 27 January 2020. This service helps to resolve workplace disputes in a legally binding way, without the need to take a case to the Industrial or Fair Employment Tribunal. Click below for more information or to make an Early Conciliation notification.
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.