Paul Doran You’ve undoubtedly noticed that many of the big brands we grew up with are failing, losing tens of thousands of people their jobs. The traditional High Street is suffering badly, and House of Fraser is the latest big name that has gone into administration. We’ve also lost British Home Stores, Blockbuster and Woolworths relatively recently. …
If you work for employers on a temporary basis via an agency, your contract is usually with the agency that books you. You’re not classified as an employee, and you’re not self-employed. In law, you’re what’s called a ‘worker’. As a worker, you have certain rights. These include the right: to be paid the national …
Do you remember the story about the Christian bakery that refused to make a cake with the slogan ‘Support Gay Marriage’? The customer (Gareth Lee) took Ashers Baking Company Ltd to court, claiming discrimination. The Northern Ireland County Court upheld the claim, as did the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal. But the case has now …
Have you ever thought to yourself “I’ve Suffered Pregnancy Discrimination”? The law protects you against discrimination because you’re pregnant or on maternity leave. Have any of these situations happened to you? • Someone made nasty or hurtful comments about you being unable to do your job properly because of your pregnancy or ‘baby brain’ • …
Is your organisation cutting corners on health and safety or staffing, and so putting people at risk? Are your colleagues behaving in an intimidating way to people in their care? Is the company behaving fraudulently, or failing to comply with their legal obligations? If you become aware of illegal behaviour by your colleagues or employer, …
If your employer has offered you a compromise agreement (known as a settlement agreement outside Northern Ireland), they are offering to pay you money in return for agreeing not to take them to court or an Employment Tribunal. You don’t have to accept the initial amount they offer; it’s open to negotiation. So you …
In shops, offices and factories throughout the land, there are no doubt many heated discussions going on about Brexit. But did you know that it may be unlawful for you to be discriminated against because of your political beliefs? As you may know, our head office is based in Northern Ireland. Due to this country’s …
When you’re making a claim for unfair dismissal, it’s useful to know what to expect. In this article, you will discover the usual process and timescales. Acas This stage does not apply if you are claiming against an employer in Northern Ireland. If you are in GB, the first step is to tell ACAS, the …
These days, it seems unlikely that anyone will lose their job simply because they get married. But that routinely used to happen to women (in the 1950s, nurses had to leave the NHS when they got married, for example). One reason why the Sex Discrimination Act was originally implemented in 1975 was to create equality …
A compromise agreement is used when you reach a full and final settlement with your employer. You might be offered a compromise agreement because you’ve been made redundant, or because you brought a claim against your employer due to breach of contract, discrimination or unfair dismissal. In return for your employer giving you money (and …