Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978

[F1 F2 151 Computation of period of continuous employment. E+W+S

(1) References in any provision of this Act to a period of continuous employment are, except where provision is expressly made to the contrary, to a period computed in accordance with the provisions of this section and Schedule 13; and in any such provision which refers to a period of continuous employment expressed in months or years a month means a calendar month and a year means a year of twelve calendar months.

(2) In computing an employee’s period of continuous employment any question arising as to—

(a) whether the employee’s employment is of a kind counting towards a period of continuous employment, or

(b) whether periods (consecutive or otherwise) are to be treated as forming a single period of continuous employment,

shall be determined in accordance with Schedule 13 (that is to say, week by week), but the length of an employee’s period of employment shall be computed in months and years of twelve months in accordance with the following rules.

(3) Subject to the following provisions of this section, an employee’s period of continuous employment for the purposes of any provision of this Act begins with the day on which he starts work and ends with the day by reference to which the length of his period of continuous employment falls to be ascertained for the purposes of the provision in question.

(4) For the purposes of section 81 and Schedule 4 an employee’s period of continuous employment shall be treated as beginning on his eighteenth birthday if that date is later than the starting date referred to in subsection (3).

(5) If an employee’s period of continuous employment includes one or more periods which, by virtue of any provision of Schedule 13, do not count in computing the length of the period but do not break continuity, the beginning of the period shall be treated as postponed by the number of days falling within that intervening period or, as the case may be, by the aggregate number of days falling within those periods.

(6) The number of days falling within such an intervening period is—

(a) in the case of a period to which paragraph 14(3) of Schedule 13 applies, seven days for each week within that sub-paragraph;

(b) in the case of a period to which paragraph 15(2) or (4) of that Schedule applies, the number of days between the last working day before the strike or lock-out and the day on which work was resumed;

(c) in the case of a period to which paragraph 16(1) of that Schedule applies, the number of days between the employee’s last day of employment before service under Part I of the M1 National Service Act 1948 and the day on which he resumed employment in accordance with Part II of that Act.]

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 151 substituted with saving by Employment Act 1982 (c. 46, SIF 43:5), s. 20, Sch. 2 para. 7(1)

F2 S. 151 applied by Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (c. 52), ss. 281(5), 302.

S. 151 applied by Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (c. 52), ss. 282(2), 302.

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 151 extended by Employment Protection Act 1975 (c. 71, SIF 43:1), s. 119(7) (as amended with saving by Employment Act 1982 (c. 46, SIF 43:5), s. 20, Sch. 2 para. 6(1)

C2 S. 151(1)(2) applied (with modifications) (E.W.) (26.8.1994) by 1994 c. 20, s. 4, Sch. 4 para. 1(4)(5); S.I. 1994/1841, art. 2

S. 151(1)(2) applied (with modifications) (E.W.) (3.1.1995) by 1994 c. 40, ss. 20, 82(2), Sch. 8 para. 1(2)

Marginal Citations

M1 1948 c. 64.