Under the Juries (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, if an employee is called for jury service, the employee has a legal obligation to attend court on the notified days unless deferred or excused.

If an employee is called for jury service, the employer must allow the employee time off from work to attend. Employers cannot dismiss an employee for attending jury service - this dismissal would be automatically unfair.

Furthermore, the Employment Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 protects employees from any detriment that they might suffer as a result of jury service. This includes situations where a juror is denied the opportunity to return to their role, excluded from pay reviews, or overlooked for promotion due to their service.

Employers do not have to pay employees while on jury service, however, employers may do so as a gesture of goodwill.

This article was provided by Madison Bowyer, an Associate in the Employment Law Group at Arthur Cox NI. 

T:+44 28 9026 5886 
E: Madison.bowyer@arthurcox.com 
https://www.arthurcox.com/