How do I handle it? I’ve dismissed an employee who has less than one year’s service, am I fully protected against a claim for Unfair Dismissal?

Jennifer O’Sullivan writes:

Legislation

Section 2(a) of the Unfair Dismissals Acts (the “UDA”) sets out the general rule that an employee must have one year’s continuous service at the date of his dismissal to bring a claim under the UDA. Employers must bear in mind, however, this will not apply in a number of limited circumstances such as where the employee can show that they were dismissed for trade union membership or activity, for pregnancy or connected matters; for exercising their rights under the National Minimum Wage Act or for exercising their rights to