Employment Law
We act for both employers and employees. We work with you to achieve practical, workable and forward-thinking solutions to your employment problems.
- employment agreements
- employment advice on existing agreements
- dispute resolution
Employers
Employment agreements
We can help you make sure your employment agreements meet all the legislative requirements. Many minimum entitlements apply to employees under, for example, the Holidays Act 2003, Employment Relations Act 2000, and Minimum Wage Act 1983. We can help you make sure that you are looked after as well by having an appropriate employment agreement to govern the employment relationship.
When things go wrong
We can help you manage a disciplinary process, performance management or redundancy and help you to defend a personal grievance if things go wrong.
Employees
Employment agreements
Your employment agreement is an important document in your life, and it sets out the terms and conditions on which you receive your primary income. It should be reviewed carefully before signing. We can help you to fully understand the meaning and implications of an employment agreement or variation proposed by your employer, and whether the agreement complies with the law applying to employees. We can advise you on whether a particular term in the agreement is common, what provisions you should consider challenging, and negotiate on your behalf.
When things go wrong
We can advise you on whether you have grounds for a personal grievance, and act for you in raising it with your employer, attending mediation and the Employment Authority if necessary.
Quick Employment Law Facts
- Employers cannot terminate an agreement without good reason, regardless of what the agreement says.
- Minimum working conditions (holidays, sick leave, minimum wage) are provided by statute and cannot be contracted out of.
- As an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure there is a written employment agreement and it meets minimum standards.
- An employee must raise a personal grievance with the employer within 90 days of the events giving rise to the grievance.
- Most personal grievances are resolved at mediation.
- Employers can employ new employees with a 90 day initial trial period. If the trial period applies, the employee will not be able to file a personal grievance for termination of employment within the 90 days. However, it is important to get the trial period right – it must be in writing, signed before commencement of employment and there are requirements relating to termination within the trial period
