The Government has released its long-awaited roadmap for implementing the Employment Rights Bill (ERB), confirming a staged rollout of reforms through to 2027.
The roadmap offers a three-year calendar that UK employers can now align with their HR, budgeting and compliance plans. The timetable clusters reforms during this period around common start dates, 6 April and 1 October, which should help to minimise mid-year disruption.
The key milestones and date are as follows:
Autumn 2025: Royal Assent and immediate changes
Once the Bill receives Royal Assent, the industrial relations landscape will shift overnight. The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 and most of the Trade Union Act 2016 will be repealed. Strike ballot and notice requirements will be simplified and a new protection will stop employers dismissing staff for taking lawful industrial action.
Employers with unionised workforces will therefore need to revisit contingency plans and update internal guidance on picketing and communications ahead of this date.
6 April 2026: first common commencement date
By the start of the 2026–27 tax year, a number of family-friendly and enforcement reforms will take effect.
Day-one rights to statutory paternity leave and unpaid parental leave mean that eligibility checks based on length of service should be removed from onboarding materials.
Statutory Sick Pay becomes payable from the first day of absence and to all employees, because both the lower-earnings limit and the three-day waiting period are to be abolished. In preparation, payroll teams should model the extra cost.
At the same time, a new Fair Work Agency opens, the collective redundancy protective award cap doubles, the whistleblowing framework will be strengthened and electronic or workplace union ballots are to be legalised.
HR systems will need updating to record day-one leave, and ER teams should review whistleblowing channels and recognise that collective consultations now carry greater financial exposure.
1 October 2026: second common commencement date
The autumn 2026 tranche focuses on contractual, harassment and procurement issues.
Clause 26’s amended fire and rehire regime is expected to go live. Policy, reward and legal teams will need to audit template contracts and consultation playbooks, and retire blanket variation clauses.
Employers will also face a statutory duty to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment, including by customers or other third parties, so meaningful risk assessments, supplier clauses and training records will be essential.
Parallel reforms introduce a two-tier public procurement code, tighten tipping rules and strengthen union access rights.
December 2026: Seafarers’ Charter
Although niche, operators in maritime transport should note that the mandatory Seafarers’ Charter becomes enforceable by the end of 2026, bringing pay and roster parity rules for crews on UK routes.
2027: final phase
The headline 2027 reform is a day-one right not to be unfairly dismissed (subject to a forthcoming statutory probation model). Employers accustomed to a two-year qualifying period will need to overhaul dismissal risk assessments and improve onboarding evaluations. The year also brings enhanced restrictions on zero-hours contracts to afford workers stable hours and predictable income, agency worker parity rules, regulation of umbrella companies, mandatory gender pay gap and menopause action plans, stronger pregnancy-worker protections, a flexible working default right, new collective consultation thresholds and statutory bereavement leave for pregnancy loss.
Consultations
The Government will run three consultation waves (summer–autumn 2025, autumn 2025 and winter 2025/early 2026), covering, respectively, the probationary model for day-one unfair dismissal and umbrella company regulation; union access rights, zero-hours controls and bereavement leave; and collective redundancy thresholds, flexible working, tipping and anti-blacklisting rules.
Date / Window | Key ERB milestones for employers |
---|---|
Royal Assent (anticipated Autumn 2025) | Repeal of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 and most of the Trade Union Act 2016; removal of the ten-year ballot rule for union political funds; simpler strike ballot and notice rules; new protection from dismissal for lawful industrial action. |
6 April 2026 | • Fair Work Agency opens • Day-one rights to statutory paternity leave and unpaid parental leave • Statutory Sick Pay extended (lower-earnings limit and three-day waiting period scrapped) • Whistleblowing reforms and electronic/workplace union balloting • Simplified union recognition process • Collective redundancy protective award cap doubled |
1 October 2026 | • Statutory duty to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment (including by third parties) • Fire and rehire restrictions and accompanying Acas Code • Two-tier procurement code; tighter tipping rules • Stronger union access rights and duty to inform workers of right to join a union • Employment tribunal time limit extensions; wider detriment protection for industrial action |
December 2026 | Mandatory Seafarers’ Charter due to commence. |
2027 (phased) | • Day-one unfair dismissal right (with statutory probation model) • New rules on zero-hours contracts and parallel agency worker rights • Regulation of umbrella companies • Gender pay gap and menopause action plans (voluntary from Apr 2026; mandatory 2027) • Expanded pregnancy-worker protections and statutory bereavement leave for pregnancy loss • Flexible working default right; revised collective-redundancy thresholds; anti-blacklisting rules |
Consultation Wave 1 Summer–Autumn 2025 |
SSSNB reinstatement; Adult social care Fair Pay Agreement; day-one unfair-dismissal model; fire and rehire Code; umbrella company regulation. |
Consultation Wave 2 Autumn 2025 |
Trade union package (e-balloting, recognition, access); zero-hours contract ban; pregnancy-worker rights; bereavement leave; fire and rehire regulations. |
Consultation Wave 3 Winter 2025 – early 2026 |
Detriment protection for industrial action; tightening tipping law; collective redundancy changes; flexible working framework. |
Need assistance?
The Employment Rights Bill is currently part-way through its Lords stages and Royal Assent is now pencilled in for the autumn session rather than before the summer recess.
While the specific nature of the changes in employment law and workforce rights under the Bill are still in the process of being finalised, the new roadmap offers employers indicative timeframes to help prepare for when the reforms are penned to take effect.
The impact of the changes will vary by organisation, but as a general approach, employers could look to set out the roadmap against existing policies now, assigning owners for each milestone, ring-fencing budget for enhanced entitlements and providing workforce training, for example, on the new harassment and dismissal duties.
Staging preparation around the April 2026, October 2026 and 2027 dates should help employers to absorb the ERB’s “biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation” without last-minute risk, panic or errors.
Contact us for guidance tailored to your organisation.
Read more about the most recent changes to the Bill here.
Read the full government roadmap here >>
The latest version of the Employment Rights Bill can be read here >>
Author
Founder and Managing Director Anne Morris is a fully qualified solicitor and trusted adviser to large corporates through to SMEs, providing strategic immigration and global mobility advice to support employers with UK operations to meet their workforce needs through corporate immigration.
She is recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers as a legal expert and delivers Board-level advice on business migration and compliance risk management as well as overseeing the firm’s development of new client propositions and delivery of cost and time efficient processing of applications.
Anne is an active public speaker, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals.
- Anne Morrishttps://www.davidsonmorris.com/author/anne/
- Anne Morrishttps://www.davidsonmorris.com/author/anne/
- Anne Morrishttps://www.davidsonmorris.com/author/anne/
- Anne Morrishttps://www.davidsonmorris.com/author/anne/