Can I discipline an employee who hasn’t been performing well and was late for work lots last year?

Can I discipline an employee who hasn’t been performing well and was late for work lots last year? Employment Law for Employers

If you did not raise the lateness issues before and some time has passed, it would be unfair to raise it now and discipline the employee for this.

It would be safer to deal with the performance issues formally as failure to carry out the job successfully can lead to a fair dismissal on its own as a capability matter.