The Employment Rights Bill: A Timeline

Described as the most significant overhaul of employment law in decades, the Employment Rights Bill is expected to receive approval on 28 October 2025, with initial provisions coming into force within months. It’s likely to be April 2026 before the key changes for employers come into force. Here’s what you need to know about the key dates and changes ahead.

The table below outlines the critical milestones to keep on your radar…

Date	The headline	What’s expected
Early November 2025	Bill to receive Royal Assent	The bill will change to the Employment Rights Act 2025.
Autumn 2025 (At, or soon after, Royal Assent)	Trade Union Measures	The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 will be repealed removing minimum service levels for strikes. Most of the Trade Union Act 2016 will be repealed. The 10-year ballot rule for political funds will be removed. The industrial action notices and ballot rules will be simplified. There will be greater protection for dismissal relating to taking industrial action.
Autumn 2025	Consultations	Consultations expected in relation to: The reimplementation of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body; Implementing a Fair Pay Agreement for the adult social care sector; Unfair dismissal rights from day one; Trade union measures; Fire and rehire; Regulation of umbrella companies; Bereavement leave; Rights for pregnant workers; and Zero-hour worker protection.
Winter 2025/early 2026	Final consultations	Further consultations expected in relation to: Trade union measures including industrial action and blacklisting; Tightening tipping laws; Collective redundancies; and Flexible working.
April 2026	Implementation – First wave 2026	First provisions expected to come into force as follows: The protective award for employees for a failure to comply with collective redundancy will increase to a maximum of 180 days gross pay. This is double the current 90 day maximum. Parental leave and paternity leave will become a day one right. There is currently a service requirement of 1 year that will be revoked.. Sexual harassment will be added to list of whistleblowing disclosures. A Fair Working Agency will be established to address employee concerns. The lower earnings limit and waiting days requirement will be removed for statutory sick pay meaning this will be payable from day one. Trade union recognition rights will be simplified and electronic balloting will be introduced.
October 2026	Implementation – Second wave 2026	Fire and rehire will be restricted. It is still unclear what this will look like. A Fair Pay Agreement will be established for adult social care to address pay concerns in the sector. Tipping law will be tightened to ensure that tipping policies are regularly updated and adhered to. The employment tribunal time limit will be extended from 3 months to 6 months. Employers will have to inform employees that they can join a trade union and regularly remind them of that. Trade unions’ right of access to workplaces will be strengthened. There will be more protections for trade union representatives. Protections against detriment for taking industrial action will be extended. Employers will have to take all reasonable steps to stop sexual harassment occurring in the workplace. Employers will have a responsibility to not permit harassment of employees by a third party.
2027	Implementation – 2027	Unfair dismissal will become a day one right. Organisations with 250 or more employees must have an equality action plan to address gender pay gap and menopause. Rights for pregnant workers against dismissal will be extended. Flexible working request denials will require reasons and an explanation of reasonableness. A power will be introduced to enable regulations to specify steps that that are to be regarded as “reasonable”, to determine whether an employer has taken all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. Blacklisting trade union members will be more heavily policed. The restriction will be extended to cover more bodies. Umbrella companies will be more heavily regulated. They will be covered by the same regulation that covers employment agencies. Employers will need to consider the total number of redundancies across their whole organisation when considering collective redundancy rules, not just individual workplaces. Zero-hour workers can request guaranteed hours. A right to compensation for cancelled shifts Bereavement leave will be adopted, and may cover miscarriages.
Not known	Additional elements added on 7 July 2025	If a confidentiality clause is included in a contract or settlement agreement which prevents disclosures for harassment or discrimination, the clause is void. Whistleblowing does not have to be in the public interest if the individual actually believed it to be.