Employment Rights Bill

Implementation of the upcoming Employment Rights Bill

As of the 1st July 2025, the Government have revealed their implementation roadmap for the Employment Rights Bill, with changes set to take place by 2027.

Whilst extensive consultations will take place during the rest of 2025 and early 2026, the Government have provided some initial windows as to when these key policy areas will come into effect.

However, it is worth noting that these are only initial estimates and may be subject to change, depending on the outcomes of the various consultations.

Firstly, after the Bill has received Royal Assent, there will be some initial changes for trade unions.

This includes the repeal of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 and most of the Trade Union Act 2016, as well as new protections against dismissal for workers who take industrial action, and removing the 10-year ballot requirement for trade union political funds.

The next stage will then be in April 2026, and includes the following changes:

• Paternity and unpaid parental leave will be available to workers from “day one” of employment;
• The lower earnings limit and waiting periods for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be removed.
• The maximum period for the collective redundancy protective award will be doubled (from 90 to 180 days’ pay).
• Whistleblowing protections will be put in place against sexual harassment.
• The Fair Work Agency will be established to enforce labour rights and promote fairness at work; and
• Further trade union measures will be implemented, including simplifying the trade union recognition process and balloting (electronic and workplace).

This will be followed by further changes in October 2026, which are:

• Requiring employers to take “all reasonable steps” in preventing sexual harassment in the workplace, and a further obligation not to permit harassment of employees by third parties;
• Strengthening the tipping law for workers.
• Ending unethical fire and rehire practices to protect workers;
• New regulations to establish the Fair Pay Agreement Adult Social Care Negotiating Body in England.
• Changes to employment tribunal time limits (from three to six months); and
• Further trade union measures, with new rights and protections for trade union representatives, a duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade union, strengthening trade unions’ right of access, and extending protections against detriments for taking industrial action.

Moving into 2027, the Bill will introduce further measures and strengthen existing legislation, including:

• Introducing mandatory gender pay gap and menopause action plans (which will have been introduced voluntarily from April 2026);
• A “day one” right to protection from unfair dismissal;
• Improving employee access to flexible working arrangements;
• Implementing a new statutory right to bereavement leave.
• Ending the use of zero hours contracts by introducing guaranteed hours and fair scheduling rules;
• Creating a modern framework for industrial relations.
• Amending the collective consultation threshold for collective redundancy;
• Further harassment protections to specify the steps that are considered reasonable to prevent sexual harassment;
• Enhanced protections and rights for pregnant workers and new mothers; and
• Further protections against blacklisting in relation to trade union activity.

The Government have stated that they will work together with Acas to ensure successful implementation of the new measures, and to help in providing guidance to employers in advance of the implementation deadlines.

Click to read the UK Government’s roadmap for the Employment Rights Bill.