Employment Law in Northern Ireland: 12 Differences Every GB Employer Misses
Employ in Belfast and Birmingham and you are running two legal systems.
| Great Britain | Northern Ireland | |
| Primary statute | Employment Rights Act 1996 | Employment Rights (NI) Order 1996tayntons |
| Discrimination | Equality Act 2010 | NI Orders plus FETO 1998tayntons+1 |
| Religion / political opinion | Not separately protected | Protected under FETO 1998publishing+1 |
| Tribunal | Employment Tribunal | Industrial Tribunal and Fair Employment Tribunalpublishing |
| Conciliation | Acasacas | Labour Relations Agencypublishing+1 |
| Unfair dismissal qualifying period | Two years | One yeargov+2 |
| Statutory dismissal procedure | Abolished | Retainedtraverssmith+1 |
| Code of practice | Acas Codecipd | LRA Codelewissilkin |
| Conciliated settlement | COT3 | CO3yerty |
| Exit document | Settlement agreement | Compromise agreementmakeuk+1 |
| TUPE service provision change | Within TUPE | Separate SPC (NI) Regs 2006acas+1 |
| Appeal route | EAT, then Court of Appeal / Court of Session | Court of Appeal in Northern Irelandpublishing+1 |
Two that catch people out. Early conciliation is mandatory in NI — you must notify the LRA before lodging, and the clock pauses for up to a calendar month. And your NI handbook is probably wrong: if it cites the Equality Act, the Acas Code or the Employment Tribunal, it is inaccurate, and it will be read out in evidence.acas+1
A further point of divergence: the Employment Rights Act 2025 reform programme applies to Great Britain, with a separate package of reforms planned for Northern Ireland. The gap between the two jurisdictions is widening, not narrowing.pinsentmasons
Employ across both? Book a cross-border documentation review. 0121 256 8043.