Does an employer have to provide a employment contracts?

The Terms of Employment (Information) Act, 1994, provides that an employer must issue its employees with a written statement of terms and conditions relating to their employment within two months of commencing employment. It also provides that an employer must notify the employee of any changes in the particulars as given in the statement.

The Act applies to any person

• working under a contract of employment or apprenticeship,
• employed through an employment agency, or
• in the service of the State (including members of the Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces, civil servants and employees of any local authority, health board, harbour authority or vocational education committee.

In the case of agency workers, the party who pays the wages is the employer for the purposes of this Act, and is responsible for providing the written statement.