Employment

Employment lawyers Orla Sheils and Sarah Havlin are among four new board members appointed to Northern Ireland's Labour Relations Agency (LRA). The LRA is a non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for the Economy, offering impartial advice to both employees and employers. It has re

Thousands of PSNI officers are set to receive up to £30 million in backdated holiday pay after the UK Supreme Court this morning ruled that the force must rectify underpayments dating back to 1998. Belfast firms McCartan Turkington Breen (MTB) and Edwards & Co Solicitors represented separa

New guidance for organisations whose employees are exposed to sensitive content in the course of their work, such as images of graphic violence or sexual abuse, has been published by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and the State Claims Agency (SCA). The new document has been drawn up in respon

An employment regulation order for the security industry has been signed following the lifting of a High Court injunction last month. The order, which will see the minimum rate of pay for some 16,000 workers in the sector increase from €11.65 to €12.90 per hour, was originally set to be co

Nearly 500 employment equality complaints were received by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in the first half of 2023, with disability, gender and race making up the bulk of complaints. Figures published by the WRC show that it received 466 employment equality complaints and 222 equal status

Barry Crushell considers the recent case of an employee dismissed by their employer over a social media post. As of 2023, it is estimated that 4.89 billion people worldwide use social media. Statistics show that on average, internet users spend 151 minutes a day on social networks. Currently, TikTok

The BBC incurred more than £450,000 in legal costs following actions brought by former Newsline presenter Donna Traynor and Spotlight journalist Lena Ferguson, it has emerged. Ms Traynor contended that she had suffered unlawful discrimination on grounds of age, gender and disability, while Ms

Victims of domestic violence will receive their full pay for five days under the domestic violence leave scheme set to be introduced later this year, the government has announced. Domestic violence leave will be formally introduced in the autumn with the publication of regulations setting out the ra

An extension of breastfeeding break rights has been highlighted by the government to mark World Breastfeeding Week. The entitlement to breastfeeding breaks under the Maternity Protection Acts was extended from six months to two years from 3 July 2023 through the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous P

Northern Ireland’s High Court has determined that a decision of the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland to refuse an application for retirement was unlawful. The court rejected the claim that this refusal was done in the public interest, due to the fact that the officer i

Northern Ireland's Labour Relations Agency (LRA) will mark Belfast's Pride Festival week by hosting a panel discussion to help businesses and organisations manage workplace conversations on diversity issues, which some may regard as ‘difficult’ or ‘sensitive’. The free event

A complaint of indirect age discrimination against a State body has been settled after the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission supported the complainant to bring a case to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). The alleged discrimination related to specific eligibility criteria that was re

Cathy Smith SC and Paul D. Maier BL reflect on the objectives and impact of the Fixed-Term Work Act 2003 two decades on from its enactment. Fixed-term worker protection in Ireland got off to a particularly bad start with the State failing to implement and transpose the Fixed-Term Work Directive 1999

Northern Ireland's employment laws are being left behind compared to neighbouring jurisdictions due to the ongoing absence of devolved government, a partner at Eversheds Sutherland Belfast has warned. Ian McFarland, partner in the global law firm's employment team in Belfast, said businesses and emp

Three in 10 employers do not have a flexible working policy in place, and more than a quarter do not have a remote working policy, according to a recent survey of HR professionals by Mason Hayes & Curran LLP. The business law firm surveyed more than 500 attendees, working across the public and p