Employment Rights Bill Timeline

Late 2025

Employment Rights Bill passes.

Shortly after, expect:

• The repeal of Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 (immediately) and (most of) Trade Union Act 2016.
• The simplification of ballot and industrial action notices, the notice required for industrial action reduced to 10 days.
• Ballot mandates increased to 12 months, increased protections for employees taking industrial action, political fund rules change.

April 2026

• Maximum collective redundancy protective award increases to 180 days' (gross) pay per affected employee.
• “Day One” Paternity and Parental Leave introduced and Paternity/Shared Parental Leave restriction removed.
• Increased whistleblowing protections (e.g. for sexual harassment allegations) introduced.
• Fair Work Agency is established, Statutory Sick Pay changes (removal of waiting days and increased eligibility by removal of lower earnings limit).
• Additional Trade Union changes (simplification of recognition process and introduction of electronic balloting).

October 2026

• 'Fire and rehire' changes introduced.
• Changes to 'tipping legislation'.
• Sexual harassment changes (introduction of “all reasonable steps” preventative duty).
• Employer liability introduced for workplace third party harassment (for relevant protected characteristics harassment and sexual harassment).
• An increase to employment tribunal time limits (3 to 6 months).
• Additional Trade Union rights introduced (including duty to inform employees of their right to join a Union).
• New protections for Trade Union representatives, protections from detriment for taking industrial action.
• New Trade Union workplace access rights.

Consultations Late 2025

• Unfair dismissal “Day One” protection and dismissal process in 'initial period of employment'.
• Trade Union rights - workplace access rights and employer duty to inform workers of right to join Trade Union. Also expect consultation on a new ACAS Code of Practice on rights and protections for Trade Union representatives.
• Rights for pregnant women, fire and rehire, bereavement leave, regulation of umbrella companies.

Consultations Early 2026

• Further consultation on Trade Union matters (protection against detriment for taking part in Trade Union activities and blacklisting).
• Collective consultation changes and changes to statutory flexible working.
• Ending exploitative zero/low hour and agency worker contracts.
• Tightening tipping law.
• New Code of Practice on Trade Union workplace access rights.

What you can do now

• Review employment contracts .
• Amend policies and HR practices.
• Review and update probation periods and processes during probation (e.g. performance management).
• Review absence management processes and reporting.
• Update family friendly policies and flexible working processes and procedures.
• Workforce planning: review redundancy processes and be aware of new collective rights.
• Audit workforces - review use of agency staff, umbrella companies, zero/low hours workers.
• Review equality and harassment policies and implement sexual harassment audits and training for staff and managers (which covers third party sexual harassment and harassment).
• HR and manager training across the suite of changes.