Home A-ZEmployee Rights in Northern Ireland

Employee Rights in Northern Ireland

As an employee in Northern Ireland, you are entitled to receive certain basic employment rights.

Source: nidirect – www.nidirect.gov.uk

A written statement of terms and conditions of employment

A contract of employment is a legally binding agreement between an employer and employee. The contract doesn’t have to be in writing, although your employer must give you a written statement of the main terms of your employment within two months of the day you start work. This statement will include information about your pay. For further information please visit www.nidirect.gov.uk – Employment contracts and conditions

A written statement of pay or ‘payslip’

By law, your employer must give you a written ‘pay statement’ – usually called a ‘payslip’ – when or before you are paid your wages. It must include your gross pay, take-home pay and any deductions. Deductions that change, like Income Tax payments, must be individually listed each time. For further information please www.nidirect.gov.uk – Pay

A minimum wage

The National Minimum Wage and Living Wage (NMW) is a minimum amount per hour that most workers in the UK are entitled to be paid. If you are being paid below the NMW you can report this online to HMRC who investigate issues on your behalf. If you would prefer to speak to somebody, you can call Labour Relations Agency (LRA) or the ACAS helpline for free and confidential advice. Both can transfer you through to HMRC if necessary. For further information please visit www.nidirect.gov.uk – National Minimum Wage

A maximum working week

Your normal working hours should be set out in your contract of employment. Unless you choose to, or you work in a sector with its own special rules, you should not have to work more than an average of 48 hours a week For further information please visit www.nidirect.gov.uk – Working time limits

Breaks during work

Minimum breaks are set out in the Working Time Regulations. These regulations apply to most workers but there are some exceptions. The regulations also give you rights to paid holiday, limits on your working week and limits on night work. For further information please visit www.nidirect.gov.uk – Rest breaks and Time off and holidays

Enforcing your rights

If you have a problem at work, there are a number of formal and informal ways that you can sort things out. The nidirect website contains helpful information with regards to making formal complaints, complaining to an employment tribunal and how to appeal a decision. For further information please visit www.nidirect.gov.uk – How to resolve a problem at work