Ending the contract must be ‘fair’
Fixed-term contracts don’t usually need a notice period. This is because they usually end automatically on the agreed end date.
But employees who have been in the position for over 1 year have additional rights. If they have:
- 1 year (or more) service: you must provide a written statement of reasons for not renewing the contract
- 2 or more years’ service: you must show there's a fair reason for not renewing the contract
For example, if a permanent member of staff is returning to the post that the employee on the fixed-term contract has been covering, you have a fair reason for ending that contract.
Employees with 2 or more years’ service also have redundancy rights (see below).
‘Unfair dismissal’
Appoint another person to the same role, on a new fixed-term contract Continue to
