Contract Clauses – Fixed Terms
Published on: 13/03/2017
Issues Covered:
Article Authors The main content of this article was provided by the following authors.
Kiera Lee Partner, Mills Selig
Kiera Lee Partner, Mills Selig
Kiera lee

Kiera has over 20 years’ experience in employment law,  acting for employers in contentious and non-contentious matters. Her client list includes leading NI Companies and large employers.

Kiera’s experience covers day to day HR problems and complex restructuring issues. She has given advice on a restructure and redundancy programme involving more than 800 employees, defended multi claimant tribunal claims for unfair dismissal arising from TUPE transfers. She recently advised on the high-profile acquisition of Wrightbus and the sale of Novosco.

She also assists with strategic decisions, successfully managing the exit of senior executives including any contentious issues with shareholding and restrictive covenants.

What the legal press says about Kiera:

  • heads the department and handles contentious and non-contentious employment matters. Sources speak to her solid reputation and commend her commercial outlook, calling her a “business-focused employment lawyer.”
  • provides “an excellent level of service”
  • “has an excellent grasp of the commercial aspects of employment law.”
  • She is commercial, pragmatic and knows which battles to fight.
  • ...an excellent service in a timely manner
  • ...knowledgeable

It is a requirement of Article 33 of the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 that any terms of employment confirms the duration of that employment. This is particularly important where any appointment is temporary or for a fixed term. Contracts should set this out clearly to avoid later dispute. A fixed term contract starts on a specific date and ends on a specific date.  Employers may wish to use fixed-term contracts when:

  • short-term funding for the job is not likely to be renewed;
  • cover for specific absences is required e.g. sickness, maternity leave; or
  • there is a particular need for temporary workers e.g. seasonal work.

Any fixed term clause should be carefully drafted to allow an employer to give

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Disclaimer The information in this article is provided as part of Legal Island's Employment Law Hub. We regret we are not able to respond to requests for specific legal or HR queries and recommend that professional advice is obtained before relying on information supplied anywhere within this article. This article is correct at 13/03/2017