Government publishes timeline for new employment laws

The UK Government has now published an implementation roadmap for the Employment Rights Bill, which is nearing the final stages of its journey through the Houses of Parliament before becoming law.

The Bill is a flagship policy for the year-old Labour government and will reform the law around a long list of issues, including zero-hour contracts, statutory sick pay, and parental leave, to name but a few.

However, as the roadmap says, many of the reforms will be subject to further consultation in order to flesh out the details, with the results then brought into law through secondary legislation and regulations.

Immediate changes

While many parts of the Bill will come into force over time, some measures will take effect shortly after the legislation gains Royal Assent, including repealing most of the Trade Union Act 2016, introducing protections against dismissal for taking industrial action, and other union-related measures.

Further consultation

The government says that consultation on other parts of the Bill will be staggered over the next year to ensure stakeholders with an interest in multiple reforms can fully engage with them.

Summer/autumn 2025 will see consultation on:

• Reinstating the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB)
• Fair Pay Agreement for the Adult Social Care sector
• Giving employees protection from unfair dismissal from 'day 1', including on the dismissal process in the statutory probation period

Autumn 2025 will see consultation on:

• A package of trade union measures including electronic balloting and workplace balloting; simplifying trade union recognition processes; duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade union; and, right of access. New rights and protections for trade union representatives will be covered by an Acas Code of Practice consultation.
• Fire and rehire
• Regulation of umbrella companies
• Bereavement leave
• Rights for pregnant workers
• Ending the exploitative use of Zero Hours Contracts (ZHCs)

Winter/early 2026 will see consultation on:

• A package of trade union measures including protection against detriments for taking industrial action and, blacklisting.
• Tightening tipping law
• Collective redundancy
• Flexible working

Longer-term implementation

The roadmap also sets out when the remaining parts of the Bill will take effect, with some coming into force in April 2026, others in October 2026, and the last in 2027.

Those arriving in April 2025 include:

• Collective redundancy protective award – doubling the maximum period of the protective award
• 'Day 1' Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave
• Whistleblowing protections
• Fair Work Agency body established
• Statutory Sick Pay – remove the Lower Earnings Limit and waiting period
• Simplifying trade union recognition process

Next steps

BALI welcomes the clarity from government on when reforms in the Employment Rights Bill will be introduced or consulted on and we will continue to communicate key developments to members and engage with the most relevant consultations.