The Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996

Period of continuous employment

7.—(1) An employee’s period of continuous employment for the purposes of any provision of this Order—

(a) (subject to paragraphs (2) and (3)) begins with the day on which the employee starts work, and

(b) ends with the day by reference to which the length of the employee’s period of continuous employment is to be ascertained for the purposes of the provision.

(2) For the purposes of Articles 190 and 197(1), an employee’s period of continuous employment shall be treated as beginning on the employee’s eighteenth birthday if that is later than the day on which the employee starts work.

(3) If an employee’s period of continuous employment includes one or more periods which (by virtue of Article 11, 12 or 13) while not counting in computing the length of the period do not break continuity of employment, the beginning of the period shall be treated as postponed by the number of days falling within that intervening period, or the aggregate number of days falling within those periods, calculated in accordance with the Article in question.