Are You Ready?

Are you ready for the NEW EMPLOYMENT LAWS coming in:

• October 2025

• April 2026

• October 2026

• Throughout 2027

The government has just published the Employment Rights Bill Implementation Roadmap, setting out timelines for measures in the Bill coming into effect - 2025 to 2027.

And it all starts very soon!

The expected date for Royal Assent is October 2025 and this will mean: -

• Immediate repeal of the strikes (minimum service levels)

       Act 2023 and the majority of the Trade Union Act 2016 to

       create a better relationship with unions that will prevent the

       need for strikes. 

• Protections against dismissal for taking industrial action to

       ensure workers can defend their rights without fear of

       losing their jobs. 

Then: -

April 2026: 

• Collective redundancy protective award – doubling the

        maximum period of the protective award to provide

        stronger financial security for workers facing mass

        redundancies. 

• ‘Day one’ paternity leave and unpaid parental leave to

        support working families from the very start of

        employment. 

• Whistleblowing protections to encourage reporting of

        wrongdoing without fear of retaliation. 

• Fair work agency established to enforce labour rights and

       promote fairness in the workplace. 

• Statutory sick pay – removing the lower earnings limit and

        waiting period. 

October 2026: 

• Ending fire and rehire practices to protect workers from

       being forced into worse terms under threat of dismissal. 

• Regulations to establish the fair pay agreement adult social

       care negotiating body in England to raise standards and

       pay in the social care sector.

• Tightening tipping law - strengthen the law on tipping by

        mandating consultation with workers to ensure fairer tip

        allocation. 

• Requiring employers to take “all reasonable steps” to

       prevent sexual harassment of their employees to create

       safer, more respectful workplaces. This builds on the

       Preventative Duty introduced in October 2024.

• Introducing an obligation on employers not to permit the

       harassment of their employees by third parties to extend

       protections to all work environments, including public-facing

       roles. 

And for 2027 

• Gender pay gap and menopause action plans to promote

        gender equality and support women’s health in the

        workplace. 

• Enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and

       new mothers to safeguard job security during pregnancy,

       maternity leave, and a return-to-work period. 

• Bereavement leave to give workers time to grieve with job

       security. 

• Ending the exploitative use of zero hours contracts to

       provide workers with stable hours and predictable income. 

• ‘Day 1’ right to protection from unfair dismissal to ensure all

        workers are treated fairly from the start of employment. 

• Improving access to flexible working to help people

       balance work with family, health, and other responsibilities. 

The Government say that to ensure employers and workers are in the best possible position when these measures come into effect, they will produce clear and comprehensive guidance to help organisations navigate the changes. This guidance will be made available in advance of implementation deadlines to allow time for familiarisation and preparation.  We will keep you posted and updated too.

The Government will also work closely with ACAS which will play a crucial role in both implementation of the new measures and continuing to provide support to employers and workers moving forward.    

Our suite of training courses covering employment rights and responsibilities are constantly updated to reflect these changes alongside our consultancy services on policy drafting and implementation ideas.

Get in touch for more details.