Government publishes Employment Rights Bill implementation roadmap

On 1 July 2025, the DBT published Policy Paper: Implementing the Employment Rights Bill, which sets out the anticipated commencement dates for different parts of the Employment Rights Bill, as well as consultation, guidance and other preparation arrangements (Press release). The bill will amend the Employment Rights Act 1996, the Equality Act 2010, the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 and other primary legislation.

Changes that will come into effect immediately after the bill is passed include the immediate repeal of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 and the majority of the Trade Union Act 2016. Other provisions of the bill are scheduled to come into force at a later date, including the below.

• April 2026 – Introduction of 'day one' paternity leave and unpaid parental leave, the establishment of the Fair Work Agency, and the removal of both the lower earnings limit and waiting period for statutory sick pay.
• October 2026 – Implementation of restrictions on 'fire and rehire' practices, and the introduction of a requirement for employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees.
• 2027 – Implementation of a 'day one' right to protection from unfair dismissal, and the introduction of rules to give greater certainty to workers on zero-hours contracts.

For further information about the Employment Rights Bill generally, see FC Features 10 October 2024 and 5 March 2025.

First published on the Employment News Service on 1 July 2025.

To view our previous blogs, please visit the blog home page.
Want to view more content like this?  Or to view our previous features?  Request a free trial of our knowledge service: