Employment legislation
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There are many laws that provide protection for all employers and employees.
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equal pay
The Equal Pay Act, 1970, stated that an employee who does a similar job to a member of the opposite sex is entitled to equal pay.
discrimination
The Sex Discrimination Act, 1975 and Race Relations Act, 1976, made it illegal to discriminate against somebody on the basis of their sex or ethnic group. The Disability Discrimination Act, 1995, made it illegal for businesses with 20 or more employees to discriminate on the basis of a physical or mental disability. Businesses must be fair in their recruitment, dismissal, offering of conditions of employment, training and promotion. It is presently not illegal to discriminate on the basis of age.
employment rights and working hours
The European Union Working Time Directive, 1999 and The Working Time Regulations, 1998, allowed workers to limit the number of hours they worked to 13 hours per day and 48 per week (although there are a few exceptions). It also gave workers four weeks paid leave per year.
The 1999 Employment Relations Act increased employees’ rights by giving women longer maternity leave.
The Employment Rights Act, 1996 gives employees who will be employed for more than one month the right to be given a written statement of employment. It also states that employees who have two years of service since the age of 18 are entitled to redundancy payments
health and safety
The Health and Safety Executive enforce the law. They are allowed to enter any business and order changes to be made if the laws are not followed. The Factories Act, 1961, the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974, and many others set out minimum standards that would ensure the welfare of workers.
access to information
The Data Protection Act, 1984, stated that employees should be allowed access to any information held about them. The business should also take care to ensure that the information is up to date.
