Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Translation help

Translate this page

Select a language

  • Afrikaans — Afrikaans
  • Albanian — Shqip
  • Amharic — አማርኛ
  • Arabic — العربية
  • Armenian — Հայերեն
  • Assamese — অসমীয়া
  • Aymara — Aymar aru
  • Azerbaijani — Azərbaycan dili
  • Bambara — Bamanankan
  • Basque — Euskara
  • Belarusian — Беларуская
  • Bengali — বাংলা
  • Bhojpuri — भोजपुरी
  • Bosnian — Bosanski
  • Bulgarian — Български
  • Cantonese — 廣州話
  • Catalan — Català
  • Cebuano — Sinugbuanong Binisayâ
  • Chichewa — Chichewa
  • Chinese (Simplified) — 简体中文
  • Chinese (Traditional) — 繁體中文
  • Corsican — Corsu
  • Croatian — Hrvatski
  • Czech — Čeština
  • Danish — Dansk
  • Dhivehi — ދިވެހި
  • Dogri — डोगरी
  • Dutch — Nederlands
  • English — English
  • Esperanto — Esperanto
  • Estonian — Eesti
  • Ewe — Eʋegbe
  • Filipino — Filipino
  • Finnish — Suomi
  • French — Français
  • Frisian — Frysk
  • Galician — Galego
  • Georgian — ქართული
  • German — Deutsch
  • Greek — Ελληνικά
  • Guarani — Avañe’ẽ
  • Gujarati — ગુજરાતી
  • Haitian Creole — Kreyòl ayisyen
  • Hausa — Hausa
  • Hawaiian — ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
  • Hebrew — עברית
  • Hindi — हिन्दी
  • Hmong — Hmoob
  • Hungarian — Magyar
  • Icelandic — Íslenska
  • Igbo — Asụsụ Igbo
  • Ilocano — Ilokano
  • Indonesian — Bahasa Indonesia
  • Irish — Gaeilge
  • Italian — Italiano
  • Japanese — 日本語
  • Javanese — Basa Jawa
  • Kannada — ಕನ್ನಡ
  • Kazakh — Қазақ тілі
  • Khmer — ភាសាខ្មែរ
  • Kinyarwanda — Ikinyarwanda
  • Konkani — कोंकणी
  • Korean — 한국어
  • Krio — Krio
  • Kurdish (Kurmanji) — Kurdî
  • Kurdish (Sorani) — کوردی
  • Kyrgyz — Кыргызча
  • Lao — ລາວ
  • Latin — Latina
  • Latvian — Latviešu
  • Lingala — Lingála
  • Lithuanian — Lietuvių
  • Luganda — Luganda
  • Luxembourgish — Lëtzebuergesch
  • Macedonian — Македонски
  • Maithili — मैथिली
  • Malagasy — Malagasy
  • Malay — Bahasa Melayu
  • Malayalam — മലയാളം
  • Maltese — Malti
  • Maori — Māori
  • Marathi — मराठी
  • Meiteilon (Manipuri) — ꯃꯤꯇꯩ ꯂꯣꯟ
  • Mizo — Mizo ṭawng
  • Mongolian — Монгол хэл
  • Myanmar (Burmese) — မြန်မာစာ
  • Nepali — नेपाली
  • Norwegian — Norsk
  • Odia (Oriya) — ଓଡ଼ିଆ
  • Oromo — Afaan Oromoo
  • Pashto — پښتو
  • Persian — فارسی
  • Polish — Polski
  • Portuguese — Português
  • Punjabi — ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
  • Quechua — Runa Simi
  • Romanian — Română
  • Russian — Русский
  • Samoan — Gagana Samoa
  • Sanskrit — संस्कृतम्
  • Scots Gaelic — Gàidhlig
  • Sepedi — Sepedi
  • Serbian — Српски
  • Sesotho — Sesotho
  • Shona — Shona
  • Sindhi — سنڌي
  • Sinhala — සිංහල
  • Slovak — Slovenčina
  • Slovenian — Slovenščina
  • Somali — Soomaali
  • Spanish — Español
  • Sundanese — Basa Sunda
  • Swahili — Kiswahili
  • Swedish — Svenska
  • Tajik — Тоҷикӣ
  • Tamil — தமிழ்
  • Tatar — Татар теле
  • Telugu — తెలుగు
  • Thai — ไทย
  • Tigrinya — ትግርኛ
  • Tsonga — Xitsonga
  • Turkish — Türkçe
  • Turkmen — Türkmençe
  • Twi — Twi
  • Ukrainian — Українська
  • Urdu — اردو
  • Uyghur — ئۇيغۇرچە
  • Uzbek — Oʻzbekcha
  • Vietnamese — Tiếng Việt
  • Welsh — Cymraeg
  • Xhosa — IsiXhosa
  • Yiddish — ייִדיש
  • Yoruba — Yorùbá
  • Zulu — IsiZulu
  • Breadcrumb

    1. Home
    2. Employment, training and careers
    3. Trade unions

    Information and consultation of employees

    It's good practice for your employer to let you know what's going on in the business and about any planned future changes. In some cases, there are legal rights for your employer to consult you.

    What information and consultation is

    Arrangements to inform and consult mean there's ongoing communication between your employer and their employees. This should involve any important developments that could affect the people who work for the organisation.

    Employers should tell staff what's planned - informing - and listen and take into account the views expressed by employees when deciding what to do - consulting.

    The rights aren’t automatic. Unless your employer decides to introduce new arrangements voluntarily, employees have to ask for them. At least 10 per cent of the employees must ask, subject to a minimum of 15 employees and a maximum of 2,500 employees.

    Your employer can count part-time employees as full-time when working this out but doesn't have to. If you aren’t sure who counts as an ‘employee’, follow the link below.

    • Employment status
    • Employment status on nibusinessinfo

    A request must be in writing, stating your name and the date on which it was sent. It is also a good idea to sign it. If you want to remain anonymous you can send your request to the Industrial Court in Northern Ireland rather than your employer.  

    If you already have information and consultation arrangements

    Your workplace may already have arrangements that employees are happy with. In this case, there's no need to make a change. If 40 per cent of staff ask in writing for new arrangements, they must be brought in.

    If 10 per cent ask, your employer may hold a staff ballot. If less than 40 per cent vote in favour of the new arrangements, it's likely the existing arrangements will stay in place.

    Agreeing new arrangements

    If employees make a valid request for new information and consultation arrangements, your employer must get together with employees, or their representatives, to try to reach an agreement on what, how and when employees will be consulted.

    If an agreement can't be reached after a certain period of time, standard provisions will act as a fallback.

    Standard provisions

    These standard provisions give rights to be consulted on:

    • the organisation's recent and likely future economic situation
    • the current and future employment situation and any threats to jobs
    • decisions likely to lead to changes to the organisation and employees' contracts (for example, reorganisations, changes to working practices and changes in pay)
    • Code of Practice on Picketing (Department for the Economy website)

    Good practice

    Because every organisation is different, there is flexibility in the way employers can inform you and consult with you. However, your employer should always try to be as open as possible, unless the information is commercially sensitive. There are many ways for your employer to do this, but it will depend on:

    • what they need to tell you
    • the size and structure of the organisation
    • you and your colleagues' usual work practices

    For example, information about the company's economic situation could be passed on in small group meetings with departmental managers, or a questionnaire could be sent to staff to find out what employees think about a suggested course of action. Other ways to communicate include:

    • intranet bulletins
    • email
    • team briefings
    • monthly newsletters
    • video-conferencing
    • notice boards
    • company handbooks

    In larger organisations, it may be helpful to set up a joint consultative committee or staff council, which helps to build trust between your employer and staff representatives. Regular meetings can also help make suggestions more useful and relevant.

    Other situations where your employer must consult

    When redundancies are planned

    Your employer should consult with you before making you redundant. If more than 20 redundancies are planned, they must also consult representatives of those affected.

    They must say when the redundancies will happen and explain why they're happening. They must do this early enough for alternative plans to be put forward, like redeployment or retraining, and your employer must consider seriously any alternatives before making a decision.

    • Redundancy: your right to consultation
    • Advice for employers on making an employee redundant (nibusinessinfo.co.uk website)

    When a business is transferred

    Your employer must also consult you or your representatives if there's going to be a transfer of ownership. They must say:

    • when it's likely to take place and why
    • if the new owner plans to take actions that will affect employees and what these are
    • Employment protection during business transfers and takeovers (TUPE)

    When pension changes are proposed

    Employers with 50 or more employees should consult when they are proposing to make a significant change to a work-based pension scheme. They must provide all affected staff with:

    • written details of the proposed change, which must be before the start of the consultation
    • relevant background information
    • the timescale in which they intend to introduce the change

    Your employer may also consult with an employee representative. This could be your trade union representative or information and consultation representative or someone specifically appointed for the purpose. Your employer must allow at least 60 days for the consultation.

    • Workplace pensions

    When your employer fails to consult you

    If your employer hasn't consulted staff, but should have done so, depending on the circumstances there are a number of things you can do.

    Information and Consultation of Employee Regulations

    If your employer doesn't consult the workforce properly, under the Information and Consultation of Employee Regulations, your representatives (or you) can complain to the Industrial Court.

    If the Industrial Court upholds the complaint your representatives (or you) can apply to the High Court who can order the employer to pay a penalty.

    Redundancy and Transfer of Undertakings Regulations

    Where there's a failure to consult collectively with employees in a redundancy situation or a transfer of the business, employees affected (or their representatives) can apply to an Industrial Tribunal for compensation which is known as a 'protective award'.

    This doesn't apply if your employer has just failed to consult you individually. If your employer hasn't consulted you individually before making you redundant, this may mean that your redundancy amounts to unfair dismissal.

    • Redundancy: your right to consultation
    • Employment protection during business transfers and takeovers (TUPE)
    • Advice for employers on their responsibilities if they buy or sell a business (nibusinessinfo.co.uk website)

    Pension changes

    Where there is a failure to consult with affected employees about relevant pension changes, you or your employee representative can complain to the Pensions Regulator.

    Where you can get help

    The Labour Relations Agency (LRA)  and Advice NI offer free, confidential and impartial advice on all employment rights issues for residents of Northern Ireland. 

    More useful links

    • Introduction to trade unions
    • Changing an employment contract (GOV.UK website)
    Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on X (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

    Trade unions

    • Discipline by your trade union
    • Industrial action
    • Industrial action - your legal right to prevent disruption
    • Information and consultation of employees
    • Introduction to trade unions
    • Picketing and picket lines
    • Time off for trade union duties and activities
    • Trade union elections
    • Trade union membership: your employment rights
    • Trade union subscriptions

    Help improve this page - send your feedback

    What do you want to do?
    Report a problem
    Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

    Messages

    You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

    Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

    What is your question about?

    What to do next

    Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

    If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

    Carer's Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912
    Email 
    dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

    Call 0800 587 2750 
    Email 
    customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

    Disability Living Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912 
    Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Employment and Support Allowance

    Call 0800 587 1377

    Jobseeker’s Allowance

    Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

    Personal Independence Payment

    Call 0800 587 0932

    If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

    For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

    For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

    For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

    If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

    • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
    • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

    For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

    Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

    For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

    For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

    For queries about your GRONI account, email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about:

    • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
      contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
       
    • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
      contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

     

    For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

    For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

    If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

    If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

    For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

    For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

    If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

    Related sites

    • gov.uk
    • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

    Links to supporting information

    • Accessibility statement
    • Crown copyright
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy
    • Cookies
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • RSS