Employment laws in the UK are created to protect both the employer and employees, however, if an employer has employees based in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, they must be aware of the differences.

Getting employee laws in the UK correct is a fundamental aspect for businesses and should be reviewed carefully, or the business could leave itself vulnerable to tribunals.  Whilst many of the employment laws in the UK are similar, we have created a guide for employers highlighting the main differences between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

When dealing with reports of Race relations legislation involving Irish Travellers, in Great Britain employers must refer to The Equality Act 2010. Whereas in Northern Ireland, HR Consultants and employers must relate to the Race Relations (NI) Order 1997, which states the Irish Travelling community is defined as a racial group.

Another consideration is the difference in public holidays, for example, 2^nd January in GB is a public holiday. In the downloadable document, we provide other bank holiday differences.

The download provides a full breakdown of employment laws in GB and NI, giving your business further guidance.

Remote employee employment laws in the UK

If you have a remote employee working for your GB-based business and the remote employee is based in NI, does the company need to follow GB or NI employment laws?  As the employee lives and works in NI, they work under Northern Irish laws.  Northern Ireland is therefore the applicable jurisdiction.  It is important that the contract of employment references this.

If the employee had previously been based in GB prior to the pandemic and the company changed to remote working i.e. this allowed the employee to move back to Northern Ireland? Similar to the above, if the employee is living and working in NI, they will work under the NI laws.  The employer should amend the contract of employment to reference the changes in the jurisdiction. 

How our HR consultants can help with employment law

Employment laws in the UK can be a minefield and is everchanging, our team of experienced HR consultants provides your team with unlimited phone calls and emails consulting and advising on all your employment law queries. Our HR consultants will deliver clarity and reassurance on employment laws in the UK, ensuring your business follows the correct procedures for both GB and NI, helping to safeguard the business from tribunal claims. 

Our HR Consultants will break down your issue, helping you understand complex HR issues relating to employment law, including how they protect employees, especially regarding protected characteristics.

Handling day-to-day HR issues for 100’s of businesses, our HR consultants will provide you with best-practice HR advice following employment law in the UK. We are aware some issues regarding employment law may require face-to-face meetings, with our service you can avail of 10 or 21 hours per year of face-to-face meetings.

Working with various clients helps our HR consultants understand various industry requirements.