UK Employment Rights Bill: key dates for consultation and implementation of the Bill

The Government yesterday set out its proposed timetable for implementing the Employment Rights Bill in 'Implementing the Employment Rights Bill - Our roadmap for delivering change', giving some clarity about the dates on which it expects the Bill's measures to come into effect.

Employers may welcome the announcement that the 'Day One' right not to be unfairly dismissed is not expected to be introduced until an as yet unspecified date in 2027.

The vast majority of these measures remain at an early stage. The Government is proposing a phased approach both to consultation and to implementation, with a commitment to give employers and other stakeholders time to prepare for these changes. We set out below details of the key implementation and consultation dates (in both cases, as currently intended) for information, but at this stage are not recommending significant changes to policies or processes. 

Key implementation dates 

Immediately after the bill is passed

• Repeal of the previous Government's union legislation and introduction of additional protections against dismissal for taking industrial action.

April 2026

• Doubling the maximum period of the collective redundancy protective award in redundancy situations affecting 20 or more employees;
• ‘Day One’ paternity leave and unpaid parental leave;
• Additional whistleblowing protections to encourage reporting;
• Fair Work Agency established with a remit to enforce specified employment rights;
• Removing the lower earnings limit and waiting period for statutory sick pay;
• Simplifying trade union recognition process and introducing electronic and workplace balloting.  

October 2026

• Severe restrictions on the ability of employers to fire and rehire save in exceptional circumstances;
• Strengthening of the law on tipping by mandating consultation with workers to ensure fairer tip allocation;
• Requiring employers to take 'all reasonable steps' to prevent sexual harassment of their staff; 
• Introducing an obligation on employers not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties;
• A package of trade union measures including strengthening trade unions’ right of access to workplaces. 

2027

• ‘Day One’ right to protection from unfair dismissal;
• Gender pay gap and menopause action plans (to be introduced on a voluntary basis in April 2026);
• Enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers;
• Further harassment protections including more details of what constitutes 'reasonable steps' to prevent harassment;  
• Introduction of bereavement leave;
• Introduction of restrictions on the use of zero hours contracts;
• Improvements to flexible working. 

Key consultation dates

Summer/ Autumn 2025 

• Giving employees protection from unfair dismissal from 'Day One', including consulting on the dismissal process in the intended statutory probation period.

Autumn 2025 

• Trade union measures including electronic balloting and workplace balloting; simplifying the trade union recognition processes; duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade union; and union rights of access;
• Fire and rehire;
• Regulation of umbrella companies;
• Bereavement leave;
• Rights for pregnant workers;
• Zero hours contracts.  

Winter/ early 2026

• Changes to collective redundancy rules;
• Flexible working;
• Tightening tipping law.  

Please look out for further updates as the Government begins what promises to be an extensive period of consultation and if you wish to be kept informed about specific consultations, please let us know. 

For more information on this topic, please visit our Employment Rights Bill hub. 

This article was authored by Christina Morton, Hugh More, Claire Christy and Libby Payne, members of our UK employment team.