The Employment Rights Act 2025
The Employment Rights Act passed into law on 18 December 2025 – paving the way for what the government described as 'the biggest upgrade to workers' rights in a generation'.
There's a lot for employers to keep track of, prepare for, and adjust to – we'll be keeping this page updated with all the latest news, updates, and expert commentary at every stage of the Act’s implementation.
Employment Rights Act 2025, at a glance
The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces additions and amendments to existing legislation, including the Employment Rights Act 1996.
A series of changes have started taking effect in phases, with plenty of updates still to come from autumn 2026 into 2027.
The journey so far:
The Employment Rights Bill was introduced to parliament.
The Employment Rights Bill underwent several rounds of parliamentary readings before receiving Royal Assent on 18 December – formally passing into law to become the Employment Rights Act 2025.
Simultaneously, the Strikes (Minimum Services Levels) Act 2023 was repealed in full.
Major aspects of the Trade Union Act 2016 were repealed, paving the way for changes to union recognition and access.
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Central enforcement: The Fair Work Agency has been established as a central point of enforcement for a range of employment rights.
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Collective consultation: The protective award for failure to meet collective redundancy consultation obligations has doubled from 90 to 180 days’ salary.
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Equality: Employers with more than 250 employees can choose to put gender pay gap and menopause action plans in place ahead of them becoming mandatory in 2027.
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Family rights: Day-one rights to paternity leave and unpaid parental leave have been introduced.
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Statutory Sick Pay (SSP): Eligibility for SSP has been expanded through the removal of the Lower Earnings Limit; employees are also eligible to receive SSP from day one of sickness.
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Preventing harassment: New obligations for employers to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to prevent workplace harassment will come into force, alongside liability for third-party harassment.
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Trade unions: A right of access for trade union officials will be implemented.
The road ahead:
1 January:
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Fire and rehire: Fire and rehire practices will be heavily restricted.
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Unfair dismissal: Enhanced unfair dismissal protections will take effect after six months of employment.
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Bereavement leave: Employees will be entitled to unpaid bereavement leave.
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Equality: It will become mandatory for employers with more than 250 employees to produce gender pay gap and menopause action plans if they did not do so voluntarily after April 2026.
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Flexibility: The existing right for employees to request flexible working from day one will be strengthened.
- Trade unions: A requirement for employers to make their employees aware of their right to join a trade union will be introduced.
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Zero-hours contracts: Employers will be required to offer more stable working patterns to low and zero-hours workers.
Upcoming Events
From 1 January 2027, the qualifying period for employees to receive protections from unfair dismissal is set to reduce from two years to six months.
From 1 January 2027, the qualifying period for employees to receive protections from unfair dismissal is set to reduce from two years to six months.
LinkedIn Live recordings
From expanded rights of access to increased protections for employees participating in industrial action, October will see significant changes to trade union practices take effect.
Hear from Karen and Julie as they break down the changes, and the steps employers can be taking ahead of time.
From flexible working reforms to changes to fire-and-rehire practices, January 2027 is set to see a host of changes come into force.
Amongst the most significant are changes to unfair dismissal protections. The road to implementation has already been laden with twists and turns, with the government rescinding proposals to introduce day-one protections in favour of a six-month threshold as the Employment Rights Bill was in the throes of parliamentary ping-pong last year.
Join Karen and Julie as they provide an overview of what’s next.
From new obligations on employers to prevent harassment to changes to employment tribunal time limits, October is set to see the next spate of major reforms come to fruition.
Hear from Karen and Julie as they take a deep-dive into the upcoming changes – and what they could mean for employers.
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