You are fully protected against dismissal – or any other unfair treatment – if you ask for one of your basic statutory or legal rights at work. This is called automatically unfair. You are protected from your first day at work, so there is no qualification period to serve first. Some examples of your basic legal rights are:
- to get equal pay for equal work
- to be paid at least the national minimum wage
- a safe working environment
- at least 5.6 weeks paid holiday every year
- a maximum 48 hour week (on average) unless you agree to work longer
- not to suffer discrimination
- a written statement of your main employment terms within 2 months of starting work
- to request certain family friendly rights
- to be a trade union member
- to make a whistleblowing complaint
NB. these are examples only, the full list of legal rights is much longer.
So, if you ask your new employer for a statement of your employment terms, and this annoys your Employer, who decides to dismiss you – this is an unfair dismissal and you do not need the employment service normally needed to claim.