Employment and labour are central issues in modern business. GTG acts for both employers seeking to minimize risk of employment litigation and employees wishing to maximize protection under employment laws. Our experience in these areas spans a wide variety of industries and in all of them we provide legal advice and representation that meets clients’ short-term and long-term goals.

Our employment practice has extensive experience counseling, assisting and litigating in relation to all aspects of employment law, including:

• Employment policies ranging from performance, sickness and misconduct procedures to maternity and parental leave schemes;
• International employment issues including dual contracts; 
• Discrimination (including sex, race and disability);
• Unfair dismissal issues concerning situations where employees feel that they have been dismissed for no good and sufficient cause or that they have been made redundant on grounds which are unfair and unjustified;
• Compromise agreements necessary to settle any claims or potential claims arising between employers and employees;
• Severance payments;
• Contracts of service and of employment. Such contracts require ample forethought and a long-term perspective approach inasmuch as they entirely regulate the employer-employee relationship. They are expected to contain certain minimum written particulars such as the normal rates of pay, overtime rates, hours of work, place of work and leave entitlement. Other particulars may also be incorporated in the contract, such as clauses relating to confidentiality, conflicting employment and obligations upon termination of employment;
• Transfer of undertakings. In this regard it is imperative to give careful consideration to the Transfer of Business (Protection of Employment) Regulations upon merger or transfer of a business in order to avoid harmful consequences given that said regulations are directed towards the protection of employees’ rights.

In relation to labour law, a strong background in civil and human rights matters enables our lawyers to assists our clients in collective bargaining negotiations with their unions and in litigious proceedings under their collective bargaining agreements. 

Employment and labour law is primarily governed by the Employment and Industrial Relations Act (EIRA). Of relevance is also the subsidiary legislation issued under the said Act which covers main areas such as equal treatment in employment, contracts of employment, contracts of services, wages, working time, leave, part-time employment, protection of employees when a business is being transferred and redundancies.