Update: Employment Rights Bill Developments March 2025
The UK government has made significant changes to the Employment Rights Bill (ERB), following extensive consultations with business groups and trade unions. The resulting amendments cover a wide range of employment issues, including agency worker rights, redundancy consultation penalties, fair work enforcement and statutory sick pay reforms. For UK employers, these changes signal greater regulatory […]
Changes in Employment Rates & Rules April 2025
In April 2025, several significant changes to statutory rates and employment law rules will come into effect in the UK. Key updates include: National Minimum and Living Wage Increases From 1 April 2025, all UK employers must apply increased minimum and living wage rates. The most significant change is the extension of the […]
New Powers for Govt to Take Employers to Tribunal
The Fair Work Agency (FWA), introduced in the March 2025 amendments to the Employment Rights Bill, has been given sweeping new enforcement powers. One of the most significant changes is its ability to take employers to an Employment Tribunal on behalf of workers who may be unwilling or unable to pursue a claim themselves. This […]
Amendments to Employment Rights Bill – March 2025
Following a round of consultations, the government has published its response, announcing a series of amendments to the Employment Rights Bill. Amendments to Employment Rights Bill The key changes to the Bill include: Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) Eligibility for SSP has been expanded to include approximately 1.3 million low-wage workers earning less […]
New Statutory Miscarriage Leave for Bereaved Parents
The UK government has confirmed that parents who experience a miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy will now be entitled to statutory bereavement leave of two weeks. The change will be brought in under the Employment Rights Bill, granting mothers and their partners the right to take two weeks of bereavement leave following pregnancy loss […]
Plans for Right to Disconnect Shelved
The UK government’s plans to introduce a legal “right to disconnect”—allowing workers to ignore work-related communications outside of office hours—appear to have been scrapped. Right to disconnect – status update The proposal was initially a key element of Sir Keir Starmer’s “New Deal for Working People,” aimed at strengthening employment rights and improving […]
Employment Case Law Update February 2025
Read on for our monthly digest for employers on upcoming employment law changes and key, recent employment tribunal cases. Unfair dismissal & age discrimination Korpysa v Impact Recruitment Services Ms Korpysa was employed by Impact Recruitment Services Ltd and placed with Howden Joinery Ltd as a warehouse operative. When Howdens no longer […]
Discounting Disability-Related Sickness Absence
When an employee takes too much time off sick, you would usually follow your organisation’s disciplinary procedure, issuing warnings and, if attendance doesn’t improve, potentially dismissing them for incapacity. But while ill-health incapacity is potentially a fair reason for dismissal, employers must also ensure they are not unlawfully discriminating against someone on the grounds of […]
Confidentiality in the Workplace
It’s an unfortunate reality for business owners that employees are a potential source of commercial risk. While it’s rare that a breach of confidentiality at work will occur intentionally, even an honest mistake can result in severe consequences. This makes it business-critical to take certain measures to protect your commercial interests, such as using confidentiality […]
Annual Leave Carry Over: Employers’ Guide
Workers in the UK are generally entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave each year. But what happens if someone doesn’t take their full statutory entitlement within the year? In this guide, we explain the annual leave carry over rules and the impact of changes to the rules following the pandemic. Carrying over […]