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The Employment Rights Act 2025: Timeline
What is happening and when
Royal Assent - December 2025
Repeal of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023
18 February 2026
Repealing most of the Trade Union Act 2016 (some provisions will be repealed via commencement order at a later date)
Removing the 10-year ballot requirement for trade union political funds
Simplifying industrial action notices and industrial action ballot notices
Protection against dismissal for taking industrial action
Employees that are newly eligible for ‘Day 1’ Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave can give notice
6 April 2026
Collective redundancy protective award, doubling the maximum period of the protective award
‘Day 1’ Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave
Whistle blowing: Strengthening protections for workers who ‘blow the whistle’ on sexual harassment
Bereaved Partners’ Paternity Leave (non-MWP measure) will enable bereaved fathers and partners to take up to 52 weeks of paternity leave if the mother or primary adopter dies within the first year of the child’s life
Statutory Sick Pay: Removing the Lower Earnings Limit and waiting period
Voluntary action plans on gender equality and supporting employees through the menopause
Menopause guidance
Simplifying trade union recognition process
7 April 2026
Establishment of the Fair Work Agency
August 2026
Electronic and workplace balloting for statutory trade union ballots
October 2026
Requirement for employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees
Requirement for employers not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties
Introducing a power to enable regulations to specify steps that are to be regarded as ‘reasonable’, to determine whether an employer has taken all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment
New rights and protections for trade union representatives
Duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade
Strengthening of trade unions' rights of access to workplaces
Two-tier procurement code for outsourced public sector workers
Bringing forward regulations to establish the Fair Pay Agreement Adult Social Care Negotiating Body in England
Tightening tipping law
Strengthening trade unions’ right of access
Unfair practices in the trade union recognition process
Extending protections against detriments for taking industrial action
Employment Tribunal time limits
1 January 2027
Reduction of unfair dismissal qualifying period to 6 months (for dismissals from 1 January 2027) and uncapping compensatory awards
Fire and rehire protections
2027
Mandatory action plans on gender equality and supporting employees through the menopause
Increased rights for pregnant workers not to be dismissed for other reasons (than the existing reason of redundancy) specifying steps that are to be regarded as ‘reasonable’, to determine whether an employer has taken all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment
Extending blacklisting protections
Industrial relations framework
Regulation of umbrella companies
New collective redundancy consultation threshold
Changes to flexible working
Day-1 right to bereavement leave including pregnancy loss
Ending the exploitative use of zero-hours contracts: Duty to offer guaranteed hours contracts, provide reasonable notice of shifts and pay compensation
Electronic and workplace balloting for recognition and derecognition ballots
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