At Fleming & Barrett, our experienced employment law solicitors provide our clients with practical solutions and high quality legal advice in all employment law issues.

Employer: Are you aware that you must provide employees with a written Contract of Employment once you have employed them? Have you done so? If not then we can provide you with a Contract of Employment that will cover your legal obligations. Are you aware that if somebody is bullied or harassed at work (sexually, physically or mentally) you as the employer are responsible?

Are you aware that if someone is working for you longer than one year and you fire them, then they can make a claim against you for unfair dismissals and the onus is on you to justify the dismissal? We can provide you with a system to firstly avoid such a claim being made against you and, if a claim has been made, to advise you on the backup necessary to defend it.

Employee

Employment Law has expanded rapidly over the last 20 years and now remedies are provided for most grievances to deal with your employment. We have brought cases on behalf of employees before Rights Commissioners, Employment Appeals Tribunals, The Equality Tribunal and the Circuit Court where employees have been wronged by their employers and we have recovered substantial damages for Clients.

If you have any questions about your employment please feel free to make contact with us and we will try to answer them clearly for you.

Have you recently started a new job, been in employment for some time or recently been fired? All these matters have legal implications which we at Fleming & Barrett can help you with.

If you have started a new job, have you been given Terms and Conditions of your Employment? You are entitled to these and it is an offence for an employer not to give them to you at the start of your new job or very soon afterwards.

If you are already in employment for some time, again you are entitled to have a written note of the Terms and Conditions of your employment.

If you have recently been fired, was the dismissal unfair? Remember the onus is on the employer and not on the employee in an unfair dismissal case so the employer must justify the dismissal.

In most instances you must have been employed for a period of 12 months to bring an unfair dismissal claim against your employer but in certain circumstances, this limitation does not apply.

There is however a very short time period within which a claim must be lodged to the Workplace Relations Customer Services and it is normally 6 months from the date of your dismissal. If you do not bring your claim before the Workplace Relations within the 6 month period in question, then in most instances your claim will be statue barred. The Employment Appeals Tribunal and/or the Equality Tribunal have the power in certain circumstances to extend the period by a further 6 months but to be absolutely certain your claim will be heard by the Tribunal, a claim must be instituted against the employer within 6 months of the date of dismissal.

Are you being bullied or harassed at work? If you are you have a right of action against your employer which could result in a claim for personal injuries.