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No. 297 The Additional Paternity Leave Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010
These Statutory Rules introduce Additional Paternity Leave and Pay, giving eligible employees (usually fathers) a right to take up to six months’ leave from their employment to care for a child, if the child’s mother or (in the case of adoptions) the primary adopter returns to work without exercising their full entitlement to maternity leave.
No 269 The Fair Employment (Specification of Public Authorities) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2016
This Order amends the Fair Employment (Specification of Public Authorities) Order (Northern Ireland) 2004 which specifies a number of persons or bodies as public authorities for certain purposes under Part VII of the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998.
Customer Complaints Policy and Procedure
We are committed to providing a high standard of service to you every time you contact us. We do recognise however, that occasionally we will not live up to your expectations or our promises. If this happens we want to hear from you so that we can explore what went wrong and try to find a solution.
If you want to make a complaint about any aspect of our services you will find contact details below. Please note that any complaint must be made within six months of the date on which the incident happened. Your feedback is important to us as it helps us to improve our services.
Harrassment and Bullying at Work - Promoting an Inclusive Workplace
This guide outlines the steps to building an inclusive workplace and includes signposts to other guidance published by the Equality Commission and the Labour Relations Agency.
The guidance is designed to be of practical use to employers, trade unions or employee representatives when developing and implementing policies in the areas of harassment and bullying.
504 Fair Employment (Specification of Public Authorities) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 1996
The Order amends the 1989 Order of the same name which specifies a number of persons or bodies as public authorities for certain purposes under the Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act 1989 and provides for persons who are to be treated for such purposes as employees of some of these authorities. (see Schedules)
424 Fair Employment (Specification of Public Authorities) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 1998
This Order amends the 1989 Order of the same name which specifies a number of persons or bodies as public authorities for certain purposes under the Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act 1989 and provides for persons who are to be treated for such purposes as employees of some of these authorities (see Schedules).
419 The Disability Discrimination (Employment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996
These Regulations provide for circumstances whereupon treatment of a disabled employee or failure to make a reasonable adjustment is justified: where pay is linked to performance, where there are uniform rates of contribution to an occupational pension scheme regardless of benefits received, where building works complied with (and continue to comply with) the building regulations in relations to disabled access and facilities.
No. 421 Fair Employment (specification of public authorities) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2001
This Order amends the 2000 Order of the same name which specifies a number of persons or bodies as public authorities for certain purposes under the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 and provides for the persons who are to be treated for such purposes as employees of some of these authorities (see schedules).
Cultural Change Needed to Tackle Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
- 52% rise in ‘sexual harassment related’ calls to LRA information line
The Chief Executive of the Labour Relations Agency for Northern Ireland (LRA) has called on business and organisational leaders to prioritise ‘culture’ if they’re to tackle the escalating problem of sexual harassment in the workplace.
The culture-first approach follows recent allegations against a number of high-profile presenters and celebrities, such as Mohamed Al-Fayed, with organisations being accused of cover-up and ‘blind-eye’ management.
The advice also reflects an uplift in the number of calls received by the LRA’s Workplace Information Service, with queries relating to sexual harassment up by 52% from 2023 to 2024 alone. It is anticipated the volume of calls will increase by a further 35% by the end of the year.
“With the ending of violence against women and girls a government priority, it is inconceivable that gateway behaviour such as sexual harassment and abuse of power goes unchecked for so long,” said Mark McAllister, Chief Executive of the LRA.
“Whether it’s an imbalanced power relationship, regarded as an ‘open secret’, fear of backlash, ‘his word against hers’, passed off as a bit of harmless banter, or a case of ‘protecting the prized asset’, the reality is these problems are not addressed and shameful workplace practices are putting staff, who are mostly female, at unacceptable risk.”
The sharp rise in the level of calls to the Workplace Information Service also reflect the findings of a 2023 TUC poll*, revealing two in three young women have experienced sexual harassment, bullying or verbal abuse at work.
In response, the LRA has worked in conjunction with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) to develop specialist guidance for both employers and employees.
‘Eliminating Sexual Harassment from the Modern Workplace’ offers best practice advice and includes sample policies which can be adapted to suit specific business needs, but its central theme is mitigating the issue through a positive company culture.
“Policies and procedures are vital, but our challenge to every organisation – large and small – is to create a positive, inclusive and safe workplace culture where everyone is treated equally and with respect, and a zero-tolerance approach to harassment is the norm,” added Mark McAllister.
“Those affected, and their colleagues, including men, must be empowered to call out inappropriate or abusive behaviour. And if raised, complaints must be tackled head on and properly investigated.”
With the Christmas party season underway, the LRA is also reminding businesses that the office party counts as an extension of work and the laws covering discrimination still apply.
“Once again, it all relates to company culture, as this is the bedrock of an organisation. Setting the tone from the top and being crystal clear on the zero-tolerance approach, whatever the occasion, sends out a clear message about what is appropriate and how such issues will be dealt with.”
The LRA guide is available from https://www.lra.org.uk/resources/advisory-guide/sexual-harassment-guidance-march-2024
*TUC poll 2023 https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/new-tuc-poll-2-3-young-women-have-experienced-sexual-harassment-bullying-or-verbal-abuse-work