• Advice and
  benefits
• Business
   
• Community
  and living
• Council and
  democracy
• Education
  and learning
• Environment
  and planning
• Health and
  social care
• Housing
   
• Jobs and
  careers
• Leisure
  and culture
• Tourism
   
• Transport
  and streets

• Employment Rights
• Minimum wage
• Advice for employers and employees
• Labour Relations Agency

Employment rights

When you work for an employer, you are employed as a casual worker, agency worker or an employee on a temporary or permanent contract. The agency or employer deducts tax and National Insurance amounts from your payment.

Self employment means that you work for yourself or as a director in a company. You or your company provide a skill or service to an agency or an employer on a one-off or contracted term basis. The employer or agency appoints you through a tender or other competitive process.

You or your company invoices the employer or agency for your fees. You are responsible for your own tax affairs, including paying VAT, income tax and National Insurance contributions. The employer or agency does not make any sick or holiday payments to self employed people.

Everyone who works for an employer in Northern Ireland has guaranteed statutory rights whether you work full or part time. These rights relate to the minimum wage, holiday pay, statutory sick pay and health and safety regulations.

Rights about maternity and paternity leave, disciplinary, redundancy and dismissal apply to permanent staff. The longer you work continuously on a contract for the same employer, the more rights you obtain.

Usually the only time you will need to invoke these rights is when a dispute arises between you and your employer.

The Labour Relations Agency and Citizens’ Advice Bureau can advise you further on employment rights and what to do if you are in a dispute with an employer.