Employment

Significant restrictions on non-disclosure agreements amongst new government amendments to the Employment Rights Bill

As the Employment Rights Bill (ERB) approaches its final stages before Royal Assent, further amendments have been published. The government amendments, which will almost certainly be passed due to the size of the Labour majority, include the following significant changes: Confidentiality/Non-disclosure agreements Any provision in an agreement between an employer and a worker will be […]

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Timetable for implementation of the Employment Rights Bill published

The government has published its long-awaited indicative timetable for implementation of the Employment Right Bill (ERB), Implementing the Employment Rights Bill – Our roadmap for delivering change. The key takeaway is that many of the provisions of the ERB will not come into force until Autumn 2026 and beyond, including the ‘day 1’ right to

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Unlocking pension surplus: What employers need to know about the new DB scheme reforms

At a glance The UK Government has confirmed that it will be introducing greater flexibility for defined benefit (DB) pension schemes to share surplus funds with scheme employers and beneficiaries. This will be welcome news for employers that may wish to use surplus assets to invest in the business, reduce debt or improve other employee

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UK Immigration White Paper 2025: What employers need to know

On Monday 12 May 2025, the Government published its long-awaited white paper, containing a blueprint for significant changes to the UK immigration system. These changes are a proposed government policy, and require further legislation before becoming law. We have summarised the changes and key points for UK employers below. Overview The white paper, entitled ‘Restoring

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EHRC issues interim guidance on practical implications of Supreme Court case

Recently, we highlighted the Supreme Court’s decision in For Women Scotland Ltd  v The Scottish Ministers which ruled on the meaning of ‘woman’, ‘man’ and ‘sex’, for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010 (EqA).  Please click here for our earlier article. This case has received widespread attention and raised a significant number of practical

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Supreme Court rules that meaning of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ in Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex

In a judgment handed down today, For Women Scotland Ltd  v The Scottish Ministers the Supreme Court has determined the meaning of ‘man’, ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010 as referring to biological sex, not acquired or certificated sex under a Gender Recognition Certificate. Background The appeal arose in the context of a

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Call for evidence: New equality laws on the horizon?

The government is seeking evidence and views on areas of equality policy to help better understand how the law is working in practice and on areas of possible equality law reform. The call for evidence will help shape the measures included in the draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill and the Employment Rights Bill. The equality

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Employment practices under competition law scrutiny: UK’s CMA fines companies for sharing information about freelancer rates

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued updates on its decisions in two parallel investigations into suspected anti-competitive behaviour in relation to freelance labour in the production and broadcasting of sports content (where it issued an infringement decision) and freelance and employed labour in the production, creation and / or broadcasting of television

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Consultation launched on ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers

Eight months after the King’s Speech announced the government’s intention to introduce compulsory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers (ie those with 250+ employees), the government has published a consultation paper seeking views on its proposal. The measures will ultimately form part of the upcoming Equality (Race and Disability) Bill. The consultation

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Employment Rights Bill enters next stage: Responses to consultation and amendments

Today the government published its responses to 5 consultation papers on aspects of the Employment Rights Bill (ERB) and put forward amendments to the ERB following consultation with businesses and trade unions. Increased penalties for collective redundancy breaches The maximum protective award for failure to collectively inform and consult on collective redundancies will increase from

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A clash of beliefs: The Higgs v Farmor’s School case

The Court of Appeal’s decision in Higgs v Farmor’s School is the latest case in the arena of competing workplace rights, following the prominent judgments in the claims brought by Maya Forstater and David Mackereth, highlighting the difficulties employers can face in striking the delicate balance between conflicting opinions. This case underscores the importance of

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Neonatal care leave and pay to be in force from 6 April 2025

The government has laid regulations before Parliament to bring into force the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 with effect from 6 April 2025, nearly two years after the legislation received Royal Assent. Neonatal Care Leave will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into neonatal care up to 28 days old and who have

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The Future of Work: Insights into the new Employment Rights Bill: #6 Industrial action

Labour’s Plan To Make Work Pay, published before the election in May, stated: “Labour will update trade union legislation, so it is fit for a modern economy, removing unnecessary restrictions on trade union activity and ensuring industrial relations are based around good faith negotiation and bargaining. This will end the Conservatives’ scorched-earth approach to industrial

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