Chapter 1 of 10 · Losing your job · Unfair dismissal check
Can they do that? Where you stand after a dismissal
Checked 13 Oct 2026the Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977–2015.
Under the Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977–2015 an employee with 12 months' service can complain to the WRC, and no minimum service applies where the dismissal is for pregnancy, leave, union membership or a protected disclosure. The employer has to show the dismissal was fair. Answer the questions for the clock, the remedy range and what the WRC examines.
Step 1
Your dates and the stated reason
Step 2
Was a procedure followed?
Tick what happened. The WRC Code of Practice expects each of these for a conduct or performance dismissal.
Step 3
Is any of these involved?
These remove the twelve-month service threshold, and some are claims in their own right.
Step 4
Since then
The check never says a dismissal was unfair. It says whether the Acts are open to you on what you entered, the dates that apply, the ceiling on compensation, and what the WRC looks at. The facts, the evidence and the procedure are weighed by an adjudicator.