Labour & Employment
We advise employers and employees on the legal and practical side of the employment relationship, from recruitment through to its end. We help each side understand its rights and obligations, and help businesses put policies and procedures in place before a problem arises.
Employers writing contracts or handling a disciplinary process, businesses restructuring or making roles redundant, and employees questioning a termination, a grievance or an entitlement.
What we do
- Employment contracts and agreements: Contracts that set out role, pay, hours, confidentiality and notice clearly enough to be relied on later.
- Employment policies and workplace procedures: Handbooks and procedures on conduct, grievance, leave and discipline, written to be followed rather than filed.
- Disciplinary matters: Advice on running a fair process, and representation for an employee facing one.
- Termination and redundancy: What the contract and the Labour Act require before a role ends, including notice, entitlements and the redundancy process.
- Employment disputes: Claims about termination, unpaid entitlements and treatment at work, before the Labour Commission or the courts.
- Workplace grievances: Complaints raised internally, handled so the record supports whatever follows.
- Employee rights and obligations: Plain advice on where the law, the contract and the handbook leave each side standing.
- Employment-related litigation and dispute resolution: Negotiation, mediation and, where it comes to it, proceedings, chosen for what the matter is worth.
How a matter usually runs
- What has happened, and what the papers say: The appointment letter, the contract, the handbook and the correspondence. Most employment questions are answered by the documents.
- Your position in writing: What the contract and the law require, what the risks are on each side, and the routes open to you.
- Process or negotiation: We run or advise on the process, or open negotiation, and keep every step on the record.
- Resolution: A settlement, a completed process, or proceedings before the Labour Commission or the court.
What to bring
- The appointment letter and employment contract
- The employee handbook or staff policies
- Disciplinary notices, warnings and performance records
- The termination or dismissal letter, if one has been issued
- Payslips and correspondence about pay or entitlements
Common questions
Does an employer have to give a reason for termination?
It depends on the contract and on how the employment is being brought to an end. Termination, dismissal and summary dismissal are treated differently, which is why the documents and the sequence of events matter so much.
How much notice is required?
The contract sets it, subject to the minimum the Labour Act allows for the type of contract. Where the contract is silent, the statutory position applies.
Should I sign what my employer has put in front of me?
Not before someone has read it. A release signed on the day can close off entitlements you have not yet counted.
We are making roles redundant. What do we need to do?
Redundancy has a process of its own, including notice and consultation. Doing it in the right order is what makes the decision defensible afterwards.