Yes. It is advisable to have a written record of all conversations and meetings. You have a right to take a union representative or a work colleague into meetings. If you go to a meeting on your own, make notes of what was said, either during the meeting, or immediately afterwards. If something has been agreed, it is advisable to write to your employer confirming in brief what you discussed and the outcome. Then you will both have a record.
You should raise a formal grievance when you have not been able to settle things informally and you do not think that your employer will take your concerns seriously unless you follow the grievance procedure.
You should state the facts of your complaint and state that you believe that way you have been treated may amount to unlawful pregnancy discrimination or maternity discrimination or indirect discrimination. You should ask your employer to take appropriate steps to deal with your concerns within the time scales of the grievance procedure.
If you are not satisfied with your employer’s response, then you may wish to bring a
discrimination complaint to the Equality Commission NI.
You should note that the statutory time limit for lodging legal proceedings will not normally be extended.
Before taking legal action it is advisable to first try and resolve the dispute between you. However, this will not usually extend the statutory time limit within which you must lodge proceedings.
You may wish to use your employer’s grievance procedure or write to the employer stating the facts of your complaint and asking her/him to take appropriate steps to deal with your concerns. You should state that you believe that way you have been treated may amount to unlawful pregnancy discrimination or maternity discrimination or indirect discrimination.
If you are not satisfied with your employer’s response, then you may wish to bring a
discrimination complaint to the Equality Commission NI.
If you are successful at the Tribunal and you are awarded compensation, the amount you receive may be reduced if the Tribunal decides that it was unreasonable for you not to take a grievance.
Your employer should follow their grievance procedure which should be consistent with the
Labour Relations Agency's Code of Practice on Discipline and Grievance
It would be unlawful victimisation to dismiss you or treat you badly for complaining about discrimination.
You can issue your employer a questionnaire which will help you to decide whether or not to take your complaint further. Although your employer is not legally required to respond, failure to respond or to respond in an unhelpful way may be taken into account if you decide to take a claim to the Industrial Tribunal.
This is a formal procedure and there are time limits to be observed and procedure to follow.
Yes. In employment cases you must usually take legal action within three months minus one day of the date of the discrimination or dismissal.
Yes, but only if the Tribunal considers there to be exceptional circumstances and it is advisable not to rely on this.
If you cannot resolve issues with your employer, you should complete and file a claim form with the Office of Industrial and Fair Employment Tribunals [OITFET]. You can download a form from the
OITFET website or complete one online.
- You may wish to seek legal advice and/or contact the Equality Commission for advice on how to proceed. See our complaints process section