The Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996

X1 Assertion of statutory right N.I.

135.—(1) An employee who is dismissed shall be regarded for the purposes of this Part as unfairly dismissed if the reason (or, if more than one, the principal reason) for the dismissal is that the employee—

(a) brought proceedings against the employer to enforce a right of his which is a relevant statutory right, or

(b) alleged that the employer had infringed a right of his which is a relevant statutory right.

(2) It is immaterial for the purposes of paragraph (1)—

(a) whether or not the employee has the right, or

(b) whether or not the right has been infringed;

but, for that paragraph to apply, the claim to the right and that it has been infringed must be made in good faith.

(3) It is sufficient for paragraph (1) to apply that the employee, without specifying the right, made it reasonably clear to the employer what the right claimed to have been infringed was.

(4) The following are relevant statutory rights for the purposes of this Article—

(a) any right conferred by this Order[F1 or Schedule 2 to the Shops (Sunday Trading & c.) (Northern Ireland) Order 1997][F2 or Schedule 8A to the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985] for which the remedy for its infringement is by way of a complaint or reference to an industrial tribunal,

(b) the right conferred by Article 118 of this Order,F3 . . .

(c) the rights conferred by Articles 35 and 60 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Order (deductions from pay)F4 . . .

[F5 (d) the rights conferred by the Working Time Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998, [F6 the Merchant Shipping (Hours of Work) Regulations 2002,] the Merchant Shipping (Working Time: Inland Waterway) Regulations 2003 [F7 , the Fishing Vessels (Working Time: Sea-fisherman) Regulations 2004 or the Cross-border Railway Services (Working Time) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008].][F8 , and

(e) the rights conferred by the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006.]

[F9 (5) In this Article any reference to an employer includes, where the right in question is conferred by Article 91A, the principal (within the meaning of Article 91A(3)).]

Editorial Information

X1 The insertion of the new arts. 130ZA-130ZH preceded by new "Retirement" crossheading and followed by new "Other Dismissals" crossheading on 1.10.2006 gives rise to a change in the structure of this Order on legislation.gov.uk which breaks the continuity of historical versions of the existing provisions which are brought under new "Other Dismissals" crossheading

F1 1997 NI 20

F2 1985 NI 11 as inserted by 2004 NI 1

F3 SR 1998/386

F4 Word in art. 135(4)(c) omitted (6.4.2006) by virtue of Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/246), regs. 2(3), 19(a), Sch. 1 para. 11 (with reg. 21(1), Sch. 1 para. 3)

F5 SI 2004/1713

F6 Words in art. 135(4)(d) inserted (17.3.2014) by The Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Hours of Work) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/308), reg. 1(2), Sch. para. 3(4)

F7 Words in art. 135(4)(d) substituted (1.10.2008) by Cross-border Railway Services (Working Time) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 (S.R. 2008/315), reg. 19, Sch. 3 para. 2(4)

F8 Art. 135(4)(e) and preceding words inserted (6.4.2006) by Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/246), regs. 2(3), 19(b), Sch. 1 para. 11 (with reg. 21(1), Sch. 1 para. 3)

F9 1998 NI 15