{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/employment-rights-northern-ireland-order-1996/article-131",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/employment-rights-northern-ireland-order-1996/article-131.json",
  "legislation": "nisi/1996/1919",
  "legislation_title": "The Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/employment-rights-northern-ireland-order-1996",
  "path": "article/131",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "131",
  "heading": "Leave for family reasons",
  "text": "(1) An employee who is dismissed shall be regarded for the purposes of this Part as unfairly dismissed if—\n(a) the reason or principal reason for the dismissal is of a prescribed kind, or\n(b) the dismissal takes place in prescribed circumstances.\n(2) In this Article “prescribed” means prescribed by regulations made by the Department.\n(3) A reason or set of circumstances prescribed under this Article must relate to—\n(a) pregnancy, childbirth or maternity,\n(aa) time off under Article 85ZE,\n(ab) time off under Article 85ZJ or 85ZL,\n(b) ordinary, compulsory or additional maternity leave,\n(ba) ordinary or additional adoption leave,\n(bb) shared parental leave,\n(c) parental leave,\n(ca) paternity leave,\n(cb) parental bereavement leave, or\n(d) time off under Article 85A;\nand it may also relate to redundancy or other factors.\n(4) A reason or set of circumstances prescribed under paragraph (1) satisfies paragraph (3)(c) if it relates to action which an employee—\n(a) takes,\n(b) agrees to take, or\n(c) refuses to take,\nunder or in respect of a collective or workforce agreement which deals with parental leave.\n(5) Regulations under this Article may apply any statutory provision, in such circumstances as may be specified and subject to any conditions specified, in relation to persons regarded as unfairly dismissed by reason of this Article",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "1999 NI 9"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Art. 131(3)(aa) inserted (15.3.2015) by Work and Families Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 (c. 1), ss. 15(5), 23(1); S.R. 2015/86, art. 3(1)(l)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Art. 131(3)(ab) inserted (15.3.2015) by Work and Families Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 (c. 1), ss. 17(6), 23(1); S.R. 2015/86, art. 3(1)(n)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "2002 NI 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Art. 131(3)(bb) inserted (15.3.2015) by Work and Families Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 (c. 1), s. 23(1), Sch. 1 para. 4(16)(a); S.R. 2015/86, art. 3(2)(d)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "Art. 131(3)(ca) substituted (5.4.2015) by Work and Families Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 (c. 1), s. 23(1), Sch. 1 para. 4(16)(b); S.R. 2015/86, art. 4(2)(c) (with art. 7(2))"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Art. 131(3)(cb) inserted (23.3.2022) by Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 5), ss. 4, 5(5)(6), Sch. Pt. 1 para. 23; S.R. 2022/136, arts. 2, 3"
    },
    {
      "type": "X",
      "label": "X1",
      "text": "The insertion of the new arts. 130ZA-130ZH preceded by new \"Retirement\" crossheading and followed by new \"Other Dismissals\" crossheading on 1.10.2006 gives rise to a change in the structure of this Order on legislation.gov.uk which breaks the continuity of historical versions of the existing provisions which are brought under new \"Other Dismissals\" crossheading"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1996/1919/article/131",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T04:41:40.013845+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}