Employment Rights Bill timeline and insights

Autumn 2025 Consultations
December 2025 Bill expected to be passed
At or soon after Royal Assent Changes implemented
Late 2025 / early 2026 Consultations
6 April 2026 Changes implemented
1 October 2026 Changes implemented
2027 (dates tbc) Changes implemented

The Employment Rights Bill is set to make wide ranging reforms to key employment law rights and duties. High on the HR agenda will be an audit of policies, practices and contractual terms and a review of the flexible workforce and use of zero-hours and low-hours contracts.

On 5 November 2025 the House of Commons rejected amendments proposed by the House of Lords - the Bill will now return to the Lords on 17 November.

Our timeline and insights set out below will help you prepare for the changes. The timeline is based on the UK Government's indicative roadmap published in July 2025 - the dates are subject to change. We will keep this page updated as more information becomes available.

Employment Rights Bill timeline

Autumn 2025
Consultations
- Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care sector in England (published 30 September 2025)
- Enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant workers & new mothers (published 23 October 2025)
- Bereavement leave (published 23 October 2025)
- Duty to inform workers of right to join a union (published 23 October 2025)
- Trade union right of access (published 23 October 2025)
December 2025
Bill expected to be passed
At or soon after Royal Assent
Changes implemented
- Repeal of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 (at Royal Assent)
- Repeal of the majority of the Trade Union Act 2016 (2 months after)
- Simplifying industrial action notices and ballot notices (2 months after)
- Stronger protection against dismissal for taking industrial action (soon after)
Late 2025 / early 2026
Consultations
- Package of trade union measures including balloting, recognition process, new rights for union representatives, protection against detriment for taking industrial action and blacklisting
- Unfair dismissal as a day one right
- Fire and rehire
- Zero-hours & low-hours contracts
- Tipping
- Collective redundancy consultation threshold
- Flexible working
- Regulation of umbrella companies
- School Support Negotiating Body
6 April 2026
Expected changes
- Increasing maximum collective redundancy protective award from 90 to 180 days' pay
- Day one rights to paternity leave and unpaid parental leave
- Sexual harassment as a protected disclosure
- Fair Work Agency
- Removing Statutory Sick Pay lower earnings limit and waiting period
- Simplifying trade union recognition process
- Electronic and workplace balloting
1 October 2026
Expected changes
- Fire and rehire
- Duty to take 'all reasonable steps' to prevent sexual harassment
- Third party harassment
- Increasing employment tribunal time limits to 6 months
- Tightening of tipping laws
- New rights and protections for trade union representatives
- Duty to inform workers of right to join a trade union
- Strengthening trade unions' rights of access
- Industrial action detriment claims
- Regulations to establish Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care sector in England
- School Support Negotiating Body
2027 (dates tbc)
Expected changes
- Day one unfair dismissal rights
- Guaranteed hours for zero-hours and low-hours workers
- New collective redundancy consultation threshold
- Gender pay gap and menopause action plans (voluntary from April 2026)
- Enhanced protections against dismissal for pregnant workers & new mothers
- Power to introduce regulations setting out 'reasonable steps' (duty to prevent sexual harassment)
- Changes to flexible working request process
- Enhanced rights to bereavement leave
- Extended blacklisting protections
- Regulation of umbrella companies

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