The Labour Relations Agency is established under Part XI of the Industrial Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1992. The duty of the Agency is to promote the improvement of industrial relations. It may be conferred with functions under statute. Where the Agency apprehends that a trade dispute may occur, it may take steps, as it considers […]
Paternity Leave & Pay Statutory paternity pay is designed to permit an eligible employee to take paid leave to support the mother and child and care for the child following the birth. The entitlement is to take either one or two consecutive weeks of paternity leave. There may be a right to statutory paternity pay. […]
Parental Leave Employees with more than one year’s service are entitled to up to 18 weeks unpaid parental leave for each child. This can be added to normal maternity, paternity or adoption leave. It must be taken in blocks or multiples of one week. It can be taken any time before the child’s 18th birthday. […]
Criminal Records and Employment. The Rehabilitation of Offenders (Northern Ireland) Act 1978 gives a person who has been convicted and has served his sentence or fine the right to be treated as if the conviction had not happened. The convictions become spent after a period of time. After that time has lapsed, he is entitled […]
A trade union is an organization primarily comprised of workers of a particular type. Its primary purpose is to regulate the relationship between employees of that type and their employers or employers’ associations. A trade union can be made up entirely or predominantly of constituent and affiliated organizations that meet the specified conditions, or it […]
If proceedings are brought against a trade union for a civil wrong/tort on the ground that they induced another to break a contract or interfered with another person in the performance of a contract, or threatened that a contract would be broken or its performance interfered with, or that the union induced another to do […]
A collective agreement is presumed not to have been intended to be a legally enforceable contract. However, if the agreement is in writing and contains a provision, however expressed, that it is intended to be legally binding, then it is so enforceable. If parts are intended to be legally enforceable, then the parts are presumed […]
The Trade Union and Labour Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 Trade unions must compile and maintain registers of their members with their names and addresses. They must be kept up-to-date. The records may be kept electronically. Members are entitled to a copy of an entry in the register, on request. Upon failure, they may apply […]
Rules which seek to limit a person’s access to the court or require determination or conciliation under the union rules are limited in effect. If a member or former member of a trade union begins proceedings in court in relation to a matter to which the legislation applies, then if he has previously made a […]
There is a procedure for recognition of trade unions. A trade union seeking recognition may make a request. Only a trade union with a certificate of independence may request recognition. It is valid only if the employer or associated employers employ at least 21 workers or have done so within the previous 13 weeks. If, […]