What is the difference between “unfair” and “wrongful” dismissal?
Unfair dismissal is a concept created by employment legislation. The legislation sets certain standards of fairness, and identifies certain reasons for dismissal that are automatically unfair or potentially fair. Wrongful dismissal stems not from legislation, but from the employment contract itself. It occurs when the employer terminates the employees employment in such a way that it breaches the contract, for example (and in practice most commonly) by not giving the correct period of notice.
