Employment law is complicated, and very few people have a clear idea of all their rights at work. If you think your employer has treated you unfairly, you may need the services of employment law specialists to fight your case and defend you. H McPartland & Sons offer specialist advice on all areas of employment law and employee rights at work. One of our team of solicitors will:
- explain your options
- tell you if you have a legal case against your employer
- help you decide whether your case is worth taking further, and
- explain what you should do next.
Whilst every case is different, some examples of discrimination can include:
- Age Discrimination
It is against the law to discriminate against anyone in the workplace because of their actual or supposed age. Age discrimination is a practice specifically protected by law. Employees are protected from discrimination at all stages of employment including recruitment, workplace terms and conditions and dismissal.
People are also protected from discriminatory advertising that may specify an age preference in job. Also, age discrimination in apprenticeship programs or internship opportunities is illegal.
- Religious Discrimination
It is against the law to discriminate against you because of your individual religious custom. Religious discrimination in the workplace is any employment-related action that impacts employees differently, either positively or negatively, because of their religion, beliefs, or spiritual practices. This also covers those who have no religious beliefs or practices at all. Your workplace is required to reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs, so long as it doesn’t have excessive negative consequences for the employer. The treatment could be a one-off action or because of a rule or policy. It does not have to be intentional to be unlawful.
- Gender Discrimination
It is against the law to discriminate against anyone in the workplace because of their gender. Employees are protected from discrimination at all stages of employment. Employers are forbidden to discriminate paying a salary to men and women of the same qualifications, responsibility, skill level, and position, based on gender. Also, businesses are forbidden from lowering one gender’s salary to balance pay between men and women. Gender discrimination also occurs if employers or managers have expectations about what sort of work women and men are capable, or not capable, of doing.
- Pregnancy-Based Discrimination
If an employer treats you unfairly because you’re pregnant or because you’ve recently had a baby, you may have been discriminated against. Employers are required to deal with pregnancy in the same way that they would deal with a temporary illness that would require special consideration
The protection against pregnancy and maternity discrimination at work lasts for a specific time which is called the protected period. The protected period begins when you become pregnant.
If you have the right to maternity leave, the protected period ends when your maternity leave ends or when you return to work. If you don’t have the right to maternity leave, the protected period ends two weeks after your child was born.
However, if you are treated unfairly outside this protected period you could still be protected against discrimination because of your gender.
We, at H McParland & Sons, are a skilled team of employment law specialists who are ready to defend you and support you through the entire process. Talk to us today – contact our offices in Lurgan or Lisburn and talk to a member of our team.