Fixed-Term Employment Contract Template (Ireland)

FIXED-TERM CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT

Protection Of Employees (Fixed-term Work) Act 2003  ·  TEIA 1994  ·  Ireland

This Fixed-Term Contract of Employment (this "Contract") is made on 15 April 2026 between Shannon Ventures Ltd. (the "Employer") and Seán Murphy (the "Employee"). It constitutes a written statement of terms of employment as required by the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994 (TEIA 1994) (as amended) and is a fixed-term contract within the meaning of section 2 of the Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003 (PEFTWA 2003).

The Employer employs the Employee on a fixed-term basis in the role of Research Analyst (Grant Project) within the Research and Development department, commencing on 15 April 2026 and terminating on 14 April 2028 (the "End Date"), unless terminated earlier in accordance with this Contract.

Objective grounds for fixed-term nature: as required by section 8 of the PEFTWA 2003, the Employer confirms that this employment is on a fixed-term basis by reason of work funded by a time-limited external grant, contract or funding award — EU Horizon Europe grant agreement No. IE-2026-HEU-7890 — "SustainIE: Sustainable Infrastructure Innovation" — funded for the period 15 April 2026 to 14 April 2028.. The Employer confirms that the Employee shall not be treated less favourably than a comparable permanent employee in respect of conditions of employment, unless such treatment is objectively justified in accordance with section 6 of the PEFTWA 2003.

The appointment is conditional upon (a) production of evidence of entitlement to work in Ireland; and (b) satisfactory completion of any pre-employment checks reasonably required by the Employer.

In accordance with section 6 of the Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003 (PEFTWA 2003), the Employee shall be entitled to conditions of employment no less favourable than those applicable to a comparable permanent employee, unless any difference in treatment is objectively justified by the Employer on grounds other than the Employee's fixed-term status. The Employee has the right under section 7 of the PEFTWA 2003 to a written statement from the Employer setting out the objective grounds for any less favourable treatment within 28 days of a written request. Discrimination against fixed-term employees on the basis of their fixed-term status is prohibited.

The Employee is employed in the role of Research Analyst (Grant Project). This written statement satisfies section 3(1)(c) of the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994 (TEIA 1994). The Employee shall perform faithfully and diligently all duties reasonably associated with the role and such other duties as the Employer may reasonably require during the fixed term, commensurate with the Employee's skills and experience. The Employee shall comply at all times with the Employer's policies and procedures.

The Employee's principal place of work is 8 Limerick Business Park, Limerick, V94 XY12. The parties have agreed a hybrid working arrangement. The specific on-site and remote schedule shall be agreed in writing and may be varied on reasonable notice to reflect operational requirements.

The Employee's ordinary working hours are 39 hours per week, Monday to Friday 09:00–17:30 (min. 3 days on-site). In accordance with section 16 of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 (OWTA 1997), the Employee shall not be required to work more than an average of 48 hours per week calculated over a four-month reference period. The Employee is entitled to daily rest, weekly rest and in-work rest breaks as prescribed by the OWTA 1997.

Overtime: the annual salary is inclusive of remuneration for any reasonable additional hours; no separate overtime payment shall be made unless otherwise agreed in writing.

The Employee shall receive a gross annual salary of EUR 48,000.00, payable monthly in arrears on the last working day of each calendar month by electronic funds transfer. All payments are subject to statutory deductions for PAYE income tax, PRSI and USC in accordance with applicable Revenue Commissioners requirements and the Payment of Wages Act 1991 (PWA 1991). No deduction shall be made from the Employee's wages other than those authorised by law or by the Employee's prior written consent under section 5 of the PWA 1991. The salary satisfies the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 rates. Remuneration is no less favourable than that of a comparable permanent employee in accordance with PEFTWA 2003 s. 6.

The Employee is entitled to paid annual leave at the rate of 20 days per annum, pro-rated for the duration of the fixed term, which is no less than the statutory minimum under section 19 of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 (OWTA 1997). Holiday pay is calculated in accordance with the OWTA 1997 and the Organisation of Working Time (Determination of Pay for Holidays) Regulations 1997 (S.I. No. 475/1997). The Employee is also entitled to the benefit of the 10 statutory public holidays in Ireland under the OWTA 1997. Annual leave must be approved in advance by the Employer. On termination or expiry of this Contract, accrued but untaken leave will be paid in lieu.

From the commencement of employment and once the Employee has completed thirteen (13) weeks' continuous service, the Employee is entitled to statutory sick pay under the Sick Leave Act 2022, in force since 1 January 2023. The current entitlement is five (5) days of paid sick leave per leave year, paid at 70% of the Employee's normal daily earnings, capped at EUR 110 per day (the rate prescribed from time to time by the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment). Fixed-term employees are entitled to statutory sick leave on the same basis as comparable permanent employees, in accordance with PEFTWA 2003 s. 6. To avail of statutory sick pay, the Employee must provide a medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner.

The Employee is entitled to all statutory leave entitlements provided under Irish law, including under the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023: (a) the right to request flexible working and remote working in accordance with the WRC Code of Practice on the Right to Request Flexible Working and the Right to Request Remote Working (S.I. No. 92/2024); (b) up to 5 days of paid domestic violence leave in any 12-month period; (c) extended breastfeeding breaks of up to 1 hour per working day for up to 2 years following birth (Maternity Protection Act 1994 as amended). Fixed-term employees enjoy these rights on the same basis as comparable permanent employees, in accordance with PEFTWA 2003 s. 6.

The Employer acknowledges and shall respect the Employee's right to disconnect in accordance with the WRC Code of Practice for Employers and Employees on the Right to Disconnect (2021). Outside of ordinary working hours and during periods of statutory rest, annual leave, or sick leave, the Employee is not required to routinely respond to work-related electronic communications, save in cases of genuine urgency. This right is supported by statutory rest entitlements under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, including the minimum 11-hour daily rest period (s. 11) and 24-hour weekly rest period (s. 13).

The first 3 month(s) of employment constitute a probationary period. In accordance with the European Union (Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 144/2022), the probationary period for a fixed-term contract shall not exceed the lesser of 6 months or half the duration of the fixed term. During probation, either party may terminate on one week's written notice. On successful completion of probation the Employer will confirm the appointment in writing.

Either party may terminate this Contract before the End Date by giving one (1) calendar month in writing. The statutory minimum notice under the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act 1973 (MNTEA 1973) shall apply in any event: less than 2 years' service — 1 week; 2–5 years — 2 weeks; 5–10 years — 4 weeks; 10+ years — 6 weeks. The Employer may summarily dismiss the Employee without notice in the case of gross misconduct, subject to a fair procedure.

Early Termination Indemnity: if the Employer terminates this Contract before the End Date other than for cause (gross misconduct), the Employer shall, in full and final settlement of any breach-of-contract claim arising from early termination, pay the Employee an indemnity equal to 8 week(s)' gross basic pay in lieu of the unexpired notice period, subject to a maximum of the salary due to the End Date. This indemnity shall be subject to PAYE, PRSI and USC deductions in the normal course.

Under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 (UDA 1977), the expiry of a fixed-term contract without renewal constitutes a dismissal in law. The Employee will be provided with written notification of non-renewal no later than four (4) weeks before the End Date. Where the Employee has accrued the requisite qualifying period of continuous employment under the UDA 1977, they may have the right to bring an unfair dismissal claim before the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in respect of the non-renewal.

Review with Possible Renewal: the Employer currently intends to review the Employee's performance and the operational need for the role approximately four to six (4–6) weeks before the End Date, with a view to offering a renewal or extension. This statement of intention creates no legally binding obligation to renew.

PEFTWA 2003 s. 9 — Successive Fixed-Term Contracts: the parties acknowledge that under section 9 of the Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003, where an employee has been employed under one or more fixed-term contracts for a continuous period of four (4) years or more, any purported renewal of the fixed-term contract shall operate as a contract of indefinite duration, unless the Employer provides the Employee with a written statement of objective grounds justifying the use of a further fixed-term contract. This provision cannot be excluded or varied by agreement. The Employer confirms that the current cumulative fixed-term service (No prior fixed-term service with this Employer) has been assessed in advance of entering this Contract.

The Employer operates the following pension arrangement applicable to this fixed-term employment: Access to group PRSA; employer contribution not applicable during fixed term. Full details will be communicated separately.

The Employee shall not, during or after the termination or expiry of this Contract, use or disclose to any person any confidential information belonging to the Employer (including business plans, financial information, client and supplier data, technical specifications, trade secrets and proprietary methodologies) other than in the proper performance of duties or as required by law. This express obligation supplements the implied duty of fidelity under Irish common law and survives termination or expiry without limit of time in respect of information constituting a trade secret.

The Employer is a data controller of the Employee's personal data for the purposes of administering the employment relationship, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) and the GDPR. Processing is carried out on the lawful bases of contract performance (Art. 6(1)(b)), legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)) and legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)). The Employee's rights as a data subject (including access, rectification and erasure) are set out in the Employer's staff privacy notice, provided separately.

This Contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Ireland. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this employment shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) under the Workplace Relations Act 2015 (WRA 2015), with rights of appeal to the Labour Court and, on points of law, to the High Court of Ireland. Nothing in this Contract limits any statutory right of either party under Irish employment law.

This Contract may be executed electronically. Electronic signatures are legally valid and enforceable under section 13 of the Electronic Commerce Act 2000 (ECA 2000) and EU Regulation No. 910/2014 (eIDAS), and shall have the same legal effect as handwritten signatures.

Without limiting the doctrine of frustration under Irish common law, the parties acknowledge that this Contract is contingent upon the continuing existence of the objective grounds set out in Clause 1. If those grounds cease to exist through no fault of either party (including, without limitation: (a) withdrawal, suspension or material reduction of the external grant, contract or funding stream that supports this employment; (b) cancellation, completion or discontinuation of the time-limited project; (c) revocation of a key permit, licence or regulatory authorisation; or (d) the unforeseen and substantive cessation of the seasonal or cyclical demand giving rise to this Contract), this Contract may be terminated by the Employer on giving the Employee not less than the statutory minimum notice under the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act 1973 (MNTEA 1973), together with payment of all accrued salary and untaken annual leave to the date of termination. Termination on grounds of frustration shall not constitute a breach of contract by the Employer; the Employee's statutory rights under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 (UDA 1977) are not affected by this clause.

All intellectual property rights (including copyright, database rights, inventions, designs, trade marks and know-how) created by the Employee in the course of or arising from this employment — whether alone or jointly — shall vest absolutely in the Employer under sections 23 and 97 of the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 (CRRA 2000) and applicable Irish law. To the extent that any such rights do not automatically vest, the Employee hereby irrevocably assigns to the Employer, by way of present assignment of future rights, all such rights throughout the world for their full term. The Employee waives all moral rights in such works under Part III of the CRRA 2000. This clause applies to all work created during the fixed term and survives expiry of this Contract.

For the protection of the Employer's legitimate business interests, the Employee agrees that for a period of six (6) months following the termination or expiry of this Contract, the Employee shall not directly or indirectly solicit, canvass or approach any person or entity who was a client or customer of the Employer during the fixed term and with whom the Employee had material contact in the course of employment, with a view to providing competing products or services. This restriction is proportionate to the duration of the fixed term and is intended to be reasonable in accordance with the principles in Murgitroyd and Company Ltd v Purdy [2005] IEHC.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date indicated.