11. Bringing a tribunal claim

To bring a claim for unfair dismissal, the individual must be an employee and have been employed by the employer for at least two years (one year in Northern Ireland). The claim must be brought within three months less one day of the date their dismissal took effect, known as the effective date of termination (EDT).

The first step in all unfair dismissal claims except where a claim for interim relief is made (see below) is to start the Early Conciliation (EC) procedure through Acas (or the LRA in Northern Ireland).

Employees working outside Great Britain can bring an unfair dismissal claim in the UK if their claim has a sufficiently close connection to Great Britain (Serco Ltd v Lawson; Botham v MoD, Crofts & others v Veta Ltd & others [2006] UKHL 3, Clyde & Co LLP v Bates [2012] EWCA Civ 1207).