Take the example of Liz, a 36-year-old laboratory assistant who has worked with the same pharmaceutical company for the past eight years on a salary of €45,000.

During this period, Liz has taken maternity leave twice, which means that she has been out of the office for a year.

However, by law, this does not impact on her continuity of service, so she is still entitled to four weeks' notice.

She is also entitled to a statutory redundancy payment of €10,668, based on two weeks payment per year, as well as a bonus week.

As Liz's gross weekly salary of €865.38 is in excess of the ceiling of €600, she will only receive payment for the first €600 of her weekly salary.

Liz may also be entitled to additional payments, at the discretion of her employer.