The UK government has published a roadmap setting out the timetable for implementation of the reforms set out in the Employment Rights Bill. This roadmap confirms that the UK government will take a phased approach to both consulting on these policies and introducing them following the Employment Rights Bill receiving Royal Assent. While the Bill is unlikely to receive royal assent until after the summer recess, some of the proposals (including the day one right to unfair dismissal protection) will not come into force until 2027.
The two timelines below set out when we can expect some of the key consultations to be held and the policy measures to take effect. This phased approach is to allow the government to consult comprehensively on the implementation of the measures.
| Timeline for when the government will hold consultations | |
| Date | Consultations |
| Summer/Autumn 2025 | Giving employees protection from unfair dismissal from “day 1”, including the dismissal process during the statutory probation period |
| Autumn 2025 | Trade union measures Fire and rehire Regulation of umbrella companies Bereavement leave Rights for pregnant workers Ending the exploitative use of Zero Hours Contracts |
| Winter/Early 2026 | Trade union measures Tightening tipping law Collective redundancy Flexible working |
| Beyond Early 2026 | Following consultation, the government will develop final policy positions. The timings for commencing these changes will be informed by the consultations |
Timeline for when policy measures will come into effect | |
| Date | Proposals |
| At Royal Assent or soon after | Repeal of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 Repeal of the great majority of the Trade Union Act 2016 Removing the 10 year ballot requirement for trade union political funds Simplifying industrial action notices and industrial action ballot notices Protections against dismissal for taking industrial action |
| April 2026 | Collective redundancy protective award (doubling maximum period of protective award) “Day 1” Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave Whistleblowing protections Fair Work Agency body established Statutory Sick Pay (removal of Lower Earnings Limit and waiting period) Simplifying trade union recognition process Electronic and workplace balloting |
| October 2026 | Fire and Rehire Bringing forward regulations to establish the Fair Pay Agreement Adult Social Care Negotiating Body Procurement (two-tier code) Tightening tipping law Duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade union Strengthen trade unions’ right of access Requiring employees to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment of their employees Introducing an obligation on employers not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties New rights and protections for trade union reps Employment tribunal time limits Extending protections against detriments for taking industrial action |
| December 2026 | Expected: Mandatory Seafarers Charter |
| 2027 | Gender pay gap and menopause action plans (to be introduced on a voluntary basis in 2026) Rights for pregnant workers Introducing a power to enable regulations to specify steps that are to be regarded as “reasonable” to determine whether an employer has taken all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment Blacklisting Industrial relations framework Regulation of umbrella companies Collective redundancy (collective consultation threshold) Flexible working Bereavement leave Ending exploitative use of Zero Hour Contracts and applying Zero Hour Contract measures to agency workers “Day 1” right to protection from unfair dismissal |
| Beyond the Employment Rights Bill | Implementation of gender pay gap outsourcing measure will be dependent on timelines for broader changes to pay gap reporting |
Key takeaways for employers
The roadmap provides much needed clarity and security for both employers and employees on when these changes are likely to take effect. In addition, the phasing of the consultations of particular sections of the Bill is likely to be helpful for employers and the staggered introduction of the changes allows employers the opportunity to prepare by reviewing their existing policies and procedures.
Many thanks to Imogen Loy for her help in preparing this post