Employment
Protection of Employment Act with federal labour standards
The Protection of Employment Act governs termination, notice and severance, and the Employment Rights legislation sets minimum conditions of work. The Labour Commissioner conciliates disputes and a tribunal determines unresolved complaints. Social security contributions are administered federally by the Social Security Board for both islands.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Federal labour standards applying in both islands
- Deadline — Unfair dismissal complaint: within three months of dismissal
- Deadline — Severance: due on redundancy by reference to completed years of service
- Deadline — Social security contributions: remitted monthly
Governing law
- Protection of Employment Act
- Employment Rights Act
- Social Security Act
- Trade Unions Act
In practice
Severance under the Protection of Employment Act is a statutory entitlement on redundancy and is calculated on completed service, separate from any claim for wrongful dismissal at common law, so both should be considered together. Because labour standards are federal, an employer operating on both islands applies one set of rules, which is a welcome simplification compared with land and tax.