Amongst the sweeping changes to UK employment law under the Employment Rights Act (ERA), employers could be forgiven for having overlooked the new duty to keep records relating to annual leave. The duty was not even referred to in the government’s timetable for implementation of the ERA but was brought into force with effect from […]
April traditionally marks the implementation of notable updates in employment law, and this year is no exception. Key provisions of the Employment Rights Act 2025 come into force this month, accompanied by annual revisions to statutory rates and limits. 1 April 2026 From 1 April 2026, the National Minimum Wage will increase, with the rate
Employment Rights Act: Preparing for change: April changes coming into force Read More »
One year on from the publication of a consultation on a requirement for large employers to report ethnicity and disability pay gaps, the government has now confirmed that it will take this proposal forward. These new obligations come on top of the existing annual requirement for large employers to report gender pay gap data. In
Protection of employees from harassment, and sexual harassment in particular, has been a dynamic area in recent times and a clear area of focus for the current government. In October 2024, the new duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace took effect, imposing wide-ranging and onerous obligations on employers to
A series of Home Office changes introduced from late February to early March 2026 confirms a shift toward stricter enforcement, reduced tolerance for error and greater expectations on sponsors. Key updates include a new visa brake affecting several nationalities, tighter Skilled Worker salary compliance, changes to protection routes, and adjustments to visit visa and endorsement
Following the Employment Rights Act (ERA) receiving royal assent late last year, early 2026 has already seen some further activity in relation to the Act’s provisions on contractual change. The Government’s revised timetable for ERA implementation has moved commencement of the so-called ‘fire and rehire’ provisions from October 2026 to 1 January 2027, tying in
Employment Rights Act: Preparing for change: Contract change update and action points Read More »
When the Employment Rights Bill was published in October 2024, the headline measure was the proposal to make unfair dismissal a ‘day 1 right’ by removing the qualifying period. At the 11th hour a series of defeats in the House of Lords forced the government to U-turn on that proposal. Instead, the qualifying period for
Employment Rights Act: Preparing for change: The impact of changes to unfair dismissal Read More »
The government has taken another step forward in implementing key provisions of the Employment Rights Act 2025 with the publication of employer guidance on creating action plans for both gender pay gaps and the menopause. From April 2026, large employers with 250 or more employees will be encouraged to publish the steps that they are
On 26 February the government published two further consultation papers on the implementation of aspects of the Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA): Make Work Pay: threshold for triggering collective redundancy obligations consultation and Make Work Pay: protection from detriments for taking industrial action. Collective consultation threshold In addition to retaining the existing trigger for collective
On 18 February, the first major measures of the Employment Rights Act (ERA) come into force. The ERA repeals the majority of the Trade Union Act 2016 and significantly relaxes the requirements of the process for organising industrial action. For industrial action ballots opening on or after 18 February, the ERA simplifies requirements on trade unions in
The government has published three further consultation papers on implementation of aspects of the Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA), covering flexible working, fire and rehire and tipping. Flexible working Currently, all employees have the right to make a flexible working request . Employers can refuse an application for any of these reasons: Extra costs that
**Update** The obligation on employers to keep records that are ‘adequate to show’ compliance with obligations in relation to annual leave will come into force on 6 April 2026. On 3 February the government published a revised timetable for implementation of the Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA). Whilst most of the timing remains unchanged from the
Employment Rights Act: Preparing for change: Revised timetable for implementation Read More »
In Micro Focus Ltd v Mildenhall, the EAT considered when collective redundancy consultation obligations under section 188 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (TULRCA) are triggered and in particular the impact of the ECJ’s decision in UQ v Marclean Technologies SLU (Marclean). s.188, which implements the Collective Redundancies Directive (Directive), states that ‘Where
The Employment Rights Bill (ERB) received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025, becoming the Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA). When the ERB was first laid before parliament in October 2024, it was promoted as ‘the most extensive overhaul of workers’ rights in generations’. Wide-ranging amendments were made in both the House of Commons and House
The UK Government has announced a series of immigration reforms that will reshape sponsorship costs, compliance obligations, visa eligibility and settlement pathways. These changes reflect a continued policy focus on reducing net migration and tightening employer responsibilities. Below we provide an overview of the key developments, the practical implications, and what employers should do now.
UK immigration update December 2025 Read More »