On 1 July 2025, the UK Government published its long-awaited Implementation Roadmap for the Employment Rights Bill. While the Bill itself has been widely anticipated as a generational overhaul of workplace rights, the roadmap gives employers and HR professionals their first concrete sense of when and how the new measures will be rolled out.
The roadmap confirms that the reforms will be phased in over the next two years and beyond, with consultations beginning in earnest this summer and continuing into early 2026. While some changes, such as new trade union rights may come into effect quickly, others, including ‘day one’ unfair dismissal rights and protections for zero-hour workers, won’t be implemented until 2027 at the earliest.
Here, we summarise the key milestones and explore what employers should be doing now to prepare.
The roadmap at a glance: key implementation dates
The Government’s Implementation Roadmap separates the reforms into phases based on when they are expected to come into force.
Below is a summary of what to expect and when:
Immediate (post-royal assent)
Once the Bill receives Royal Assent (expected before the end of 2025), the following provisions will be implemented immediately:
- Repeal of the strikes (minimum service levels) act 2023
- Repeal of significant parts of the trade union act 2016 (subject to further consultation)
- New protections for employees participating in industrial action:
Employers will be prohibited from dismissing staff for taking part in lawful industrial action. This marks a significant rebalancing of industrial relations law in favour of employee rights.
April 2026
Several key entitlements and administrative changes will take effect from April 2026, including:
- Paternity and parental leave reform: New ‘day one’ rights to unpaid parental leave and statutory paternity leave will apply.
- Enhanced whistleblower protections: Whistleblowers will benefit from stronger legal safeguards and broader protections against retaliation (further amendments have been proposed this week in relation to these protections).
- Statutory sick pay (SSP) improvements: The lower earnings limit will be removed, and the three-day waiting period abolished, improving access to sick pay for lower-paid and gig economy workers.
- Fair work agency established: A new regulatory body will be created to oversee compliance with fair work practices, arbitrate disputes, and enforce key elements of the Bill.
- Simplified trade union recognition and digital balloting: The process for trade union recognition will be streamlined, including provisions for electronic and workplace-based balloting.
- Collective redundancy changes: The maximum protective award for failure to consult during collective redundancies will be doubled, from 90 days’ pay to 180 days.
October 2026
The second major wave of changes will include:
- Ban on “fire and rehire” tactics: Employers will be prohibited from using dismissal and re-engagement as a negotiation tactic during contract disputes.
- Fair pay agreement negotiating body launched: Starting with the adult social care sector, this body will negotiate sector-wide pay and conditions.
- Tipping and gratuities: Employers will be legally obliged to ensure all tips go directly to staff and are distributed fairly.
- Workplace sexual harassment: Employers will have a new, proactive duty to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.
- Expanded trade union rights: New rights will include greater access for union representatives and broader protections for union activity including extending protections against detriments for taking industrial action.
2027 and beyond
The final phase includes the most headline-grabbing changes, though they will require further consultation and may be subject to delay:
- ‘Day one’ unfair dismissal rights: All employees, regardless of length of service, will be entitled to claim unfair dismissal, transforming the current two-year qualifying period.
- Zero-hour contract protections: Employers will face new restrictions on the use of zero-hour arrangements, with mandatory compensation for cancelled shifts and a right to request predictable hours.
- Umbrella company regulation: Agencies and umbrella companies will be subject to new licensing and transparency requirements.
- Pregnancy protections and bereavement leave: Expanded rights for pregnant employees and statutory bereavement leave will be introduced.
- Mandatory gender pay gap and menopause action plans: From April 2026, employers will be encouraged to voluntarily publish menopause and gender pay gap action plans, which will become mandatory by 2027.
Expected further developments (date TBC)
- Ban on misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs): The UK government has announced plans to ban the use of NDAs that silence victims and witnesses of workplace harassment or discrimination. Amendments to the Employment Rights Bill will render confidentiality clauses void when used to prevent individuals from speaking out about such misconduct. This change aims to foster transparency and empower workers to report inappropriate behaviour without fear of legal repercussions.
