Government publishes updated Employment Rights Act 2025 timeline

22 July 2026

On 16 July 2026, the Government published an updated timeline for bringing into force the provisions of the Employment Rights Act 2025. The document can be accessed here.

Since the Government first published a proposed timeline on 1 July 2025, its plans have not shifted dramatically, but there have been a number of intermittent revisions. The latest timeline is therefore a useful reference point.

The new timeline was published under the outgoing Starmer administration. The incoming Burnham administration could change things, but there does not appear to be any reason to expect this at present.

Below, we summarise the key events in chronological order (including provisions already in force).

ALREADY EFFECTED

From 18 December 2025

  • Repeal of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023.

From 18 February 2026

  • Repeal of most of the Trade Union Act 2016, summarised here.

  • Expansion of the protection against dismissal for taking industrial action.

  • Removal of the ten-year ballot requirement for trade union political funds.

  • Simplifying industrial action notices and industrial action ballot notices.

  • Those eligible for day-one paternity leave and unpaid parental leave from 6 April 2026 could give notices.

From 1 April 2026

  • Repeal of the levy that trade unions and employer associations pay to the Certification Officer.

From 6 April 2026

  • Increase in the maximum period of the collective redundancy protective award.

  • Day-one rights to paternity leave and unpaid parental leave.

  • Reports of sexual harassment classed as protected disclosures under whistleblowing legislation.

  • Introduction of bereaved partners’ paternity leave.

  • Removal of the lower earnings limit and waiting period for statutory sick pay (SSP).

  • Simplification of the trade union recognition process, with thresholds for recognition lowered.

  • Introduction of voluntary action plans on gender equality and supporting employees through the menopause, with accompanying guidance.

From 7 April 2026

  • Establishment of the Fair Work Agency.

FORTHCOMING

By 31 August 2026

  • Electronic and workplace balloting for statutory trade union ballots (e.g. for industrial action; this does not include recognition/derecognition ballots).

1 October 2026

  • Increase in time limit for issuing claims in the Employment Tribunal to six months.

30 October 2026

  • Requirement for employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment.

  • Requirement for employers to prevent third-party harassment of employees.

  • Duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade union.

  • Strengthening of trade unions’ rights of access to workplaces.

  • Reforms to the access and unfair practices regime during trade union recognition applications.

  • New rights and protections for trade union representatives.

  • Protections against detriment for taking industrial action.

1 January 2027

  • Reduction of the qualifying period for unfair dismissal to six months, and removal of caps on compensation – see our article here for further details.

  • Ban on dismissal and re-engagement (fire and re-hire).

During 2027

  • Zero-hours contract measures for zero-hours/low-hours contract workers and agency workers, including the duties to offer guaranteed-hours contracts, provide reasonable notice of shifts, and pay compensation for cancelled, moved or curtailed shifts.

  • Requirement for employers to produce equality action plans covering the steps they are taking to address gender pay gap and support employees going through menopause.

  • Greater protections against dismissal for pregnant women and new mothers.

  • Restrictions on the use of non-disclosure agreements in cases of alleged workplace harassment or discrimination.

  • Electronic and workplace balloting for recognition and derecognition ballots.

  • Strengthening protections against blacklisting.

  • Introduction of industrial relations framework.

  • Regulation of umbrella companies.

  • New collective redundancy consultation threshold.

  • Introduction of reasonableness requirement to refuse flexible working requests.

  • Day-one right to bereavement leave.

How we can help

For further information, please contact the team at Synchrony Law.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Please note that the law may have changed since this article was published.

Chris Tutton