On 1 July 2025, the UK Government published its official “Implementing the Employment Rights Bill: Roadmap”, setting out how a variety of employment law reforms will be phased in over 2025, 2026 and 2027. This milestone document gives businesses a degree of clarity on when key changes under the Employment Rights Bill will arrive and what to expect.
What Is the Employment Rights Bill?
Initially introduced to parliament in October 2024, the Employment Rights Bill contains a number of core reforms aimed at modernising UK employment law, enhancing worker protections, and ending unfair practices. It is part of the wider government initiative known as the Plan to Make Work Pay.
Royal Assent is anticipated in Autumn 2025. Only then will the roadmap’s timetables become fixed, but so far it follows a clear phasing approach with a small number of changes in October 2025, followed by larger scale reforms in April 2026, October 2026, and throughout 2027.
Timeline of Reform RollOut
Immediately after Royal Assent (likely October 2025)
- Repeal of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 and much of the Trade Union Act 2016.
- New protections against unfair dismissal for employees taking industrial action will be introduced.
These early changes aim to revise industrial action rights and union ballot rules.
April 2026
The first main implementation phase takes place with employers preparing for:
- Doubling the maximum protective award for breaches in collective redundancy consultation from 90 to 180 days.
- Dayone rights to paternity leave and unpaid parental leave.
- Creation of the Fair Work Agency. This will be a new enforcement body tasked with consolidating existing enforcement powers, including holiday pay, statutory sick pay and the minimum wage. The agency will be empowered to inspect workplaces and enforce penalties.
- Removal of the lower earnings limit and current 3 waiting day period for statutory sick pay.
- Simplifications to trade union recognition and introduction of electronic and workplace balloting.
- Enhanced whistleblowing protections in relation to disclosures relating to sexual harassment.
This implementation phase will affect employers of all sizes.
October 2026
Further reforms will come into effect, the finer details of many of these changes are yet to be finalised but include:
- A duty to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment, and new protection against thirdparty harassment.
- Extension of tribunal claim time limits from three to six months.
- Measures to curb fireandrehire practices.
- Enhanced laws on fair allocation of tips.
- New protections for trade union representatives and safeguards against detriment for workers involved in industrial action
2027
Finally, at a yet to be confirmed point in 2027 a range of key day-one rights and other measures will come into force:
- Unfair dismissal will become a dayone right, supported by a statutory probationary framework (this is likely to be a six or nine month period, with a simpler “light touch” dismissal procedure during that period).
- New legislation on bereavement leave.
- Protections against “exploitative” zero hours contracts and a right to request stable hours and income.
Consultations and Emerging Proposals
Given the lengthy timeline it is widely anticipated that further changes and additions will be made. From late 2025 and into 2026, the Government also plans a series of consultations to determine how these changes will actually look in reality so that employers have detailed guidance and can implement the changes in line with legislation.
What This Means for Employers
The news of the roadmap gives employers a broad outline of what to expect and when. For now the key message for employers is don’t panic. The decision to take a phased approach is a welcome one which provides everyone with breathing space and time to digest a wealth of information. Employers should understand that there will be changes to their policies and procedures and for the need to update contracts of employment but there is no immediate rush. It is important for employers to keep track of further information and developments so that they can navigate this transformation with confidence.
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