What are your rights as an employee?
Are you trying to understand your rights and entitlements as an employee? We can help you.
If you are engaged under a contract of service, you are an employee.
This means you are protected by the full range of employment legislation in Ireland.
Here are just some of those protections.
Equal treatment in the workplace
Employment law solicitors will tell you that you have the right to be treated equally regardless of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, age, disability, race, religious belief or membership of the Traveller community.
Discrimination on any of these nine grounds during the recruitment process or in the workplace is unlawful. If this happens to you, it is advisable to contact an employment law solicitor.
Privacy and Data Protection
As an employee, you have enhanced privacy rights under data protection legislation (GDPR). Employment law solicitors will also tell you that employers have certain obligations and responsibilities when it comes to how they collect, use and protect your personal data.
Safety in the workplace
According to employment law solicitors, your employer is responsible, as far as is reasonably possible, for ensuring that you have a safe workplace. This includes protection from violence at work, bullying and harassment.
Minimum notice periods
If you should lose your job, you have certain entitlements. These are in conjunction with notice periods and pay for annual leave that you have earned but have not taken. Meanwhile, if you are leaving your job, you must comply with the notice periods set down in your contract of employment. If there were none, follow the terms of the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Acts 1973 – 2005.
Should you have any queries or worries about notice periods, it is best to engage with employment law solicitors for further advice.
Redundancy and dismissal
Redundancy comes about when a job ceases to exist. According to employment law solicitors, employees who are made redundant from their jobs have certain entitlements.
To qualify for a statutory redundancy payment, you must have 2 years of continuous service and meet other criteria.
Dismissal occurs when you lose your job but the position remains open and could be filled by someone else. Reasons for dismissal can be fair or unfair. If you believe yours to be of the latter, contact a solicitor immediately.
If you have any questions about the above, please do not hesitate to contact our expert employment law solicitors at Ronan Enright Solicitors in Cork. Call (021) 235 5443 or email info@ronanenright.com
