Roadmap for the Employment Rights Bill

The Government has published a road map for the implementation of measures introduced by the Employment Rights Bill.

You can read the Government’s précis of the publication here

Full details are available here

In a nutshell, despite promising these measures in the first “100 days” the roll out of some of the changes will not take place until at least 2027. This is unsurprising as these changes are both radical and highly technical, requiring a thorough consultation on the impact they are likely to have to both employers and employees before they come into effect.

Current Timetable of incoming measures under the Employment Rights Bill:

Immediately after the Bill is passed:

• Immediate repeal of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 and the majority of the trade union act 2016
• Protections against dismissal for taking industrial action.

April 2026

1. Creation of the Fair Work Agency
2. Doubling of the protective award in relation to collective redundancies
3. Day 1 rights in relation to Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave
4. Enhanced Whistleblowing protections
5. Removal of waiting days for Statutory Sick Pay and removal of the lower earnings limit
6. Simplified Union recognition and and modernised balloting (electronic and workplace)

October 2026

1. Establishment of Fair Pay Agreement Negotiating Body for Adult Social Care
2. Ban on “Fire and Re-Hire practices (unless strict criteria met)
3. Enhanced Tipping Laws
4. New Duty to Prevent Sexual Harassment by taking ALL reasonable steps (higher threshold than came into force in October 2024)
5. (Re) Introducing an obligation on employers not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties
6. Expanded Trade Union Rights

2027

1. Mandatory Gender Pay Gap reporting and Menopause Action Plans (Intoduced on a voluntary basis in April 2026)
2. Day 1 right to claim Unfair Dismissal
3. Bereavement Leave
4. Protections from Zero Hour Contract abuse aimed at protecting workers by providing “stable hours and predictable incomes”
5. Regulation of “umbrella” companies
6. Enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers
7. Collective Redundancy threshold
8. Enhanced rights to Flexible Working