Ireland

Under the Irish Unfair Dismissals Act 1977, an employer should only dismiss an employee on substantial and justifying grounds, or it will be deemed unfair dismissal. An employer can terminate an employment relationship for many reasons, provided the employer complies with the terms of the contract of employment, including giving the required notice.”

Employees with more than 1 year of continuous service are generally protected against unfair dismissal. Fair reasons to terminate an employment relationship include:

• Capability, competence or qualifications of the employee;

• Conduct of the employee;

• Redundancy of the employee; or

• Employer being prohibited by statute from employing the individual; or

The statutory notice period for an employer depends on the duration of employment:

• 13 weeks to less than 2 years: 1 week

• 2 years to less than 5 years: 2 weeks

• 5 years to less than 10 years: 4 weeks

• 10 years to less than 15 years: 6 weeks

Probationary periods in Ireland may last up to six months, but these periods can be increased an additional six months if the company declares an extension to the probationary period in the employment agreement. Exercising this extension is not a common practice. There is no statutory minimum probationary period for employees in Ireland, although a period between 3-6 months is commonplace.