Definition of Seniority

In the world of work there are many factors that directly affect workers. Among them is antiquity. In principle, this concept refers to the time that an employee has been working in a company. However, it is not a simple piece of information, as it is related to many aspects: the compensation for dismissal, the possibility of requesting a leave of absence, internal promotion, to calculate working life and the corresponding collection of the pension, etc.

To the margin of these sections, the work seniority of a worker is related to his experience in a certain sector.

In the labor legislation of most countries, seniority is a right

-When a worker has already passed the initial trial period, he is normally hired for a certain period and later the worker becomes permanent. Seniority begins to be counted from the first contract.

- If a worker needs a leave of absence to take care of certain matters (for example, caring for a sick family member) it is necessary that they have a minimum accumulated seniority.

- If a company changes ownership, it has the obligation to maintain the time of experience of the workers, as well as the rest of the acquired rights.

- If for any reason, a company does not recognize the history of a worker, he can claim before the courts. It must be borne in mind that the count of working days is decisive for the calculation of the pension when the moment of retirement arrives.

- In most companies, the seniority periods of workers are associated with an increase in salary (the concept of seniority is usually counted in three years and in each of them there is an increase of salary).

- In some countries, this aspect is decisive for accessing public health services, while in others there is right to them from the beginning of the employment relationship. In any case, the calculation must be detailed in years, months and days.

Work seniority and dismissal of a worker

As a general criterion, in the Labor legislation workers' compensation is contemplated when they are laid off. In these cases, those employees who accumulate many years of work will have to receive more money than those with fewer years accumulated. This circumstance means that many employers cannot lay off those employees with a long time in the organization, as this would imply a considerable outlay of money.

Photos: Fotolia - YakobchukOlena / Luismolinero