{"id":18315,"date":"2026-02-03T14:27:53","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T14:27:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.dlapiper.com\/beaware\/?p=18315"},"modified":"2026-03-24T13:48:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T13:48:33","slug":"revised-timetable-for-implementation-of-the-employment-rights-act-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.dlapiper.com\/beaware\/revised-timetable-for-implementation-of-the-employment-rights-act-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Employment Rights Act: Preparing for change: Revised timetable for implementation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>**Update**\u00a0<\/strong>The obligation on employers to keep records that are \u2018adequate to show\u2019 compliance with obligations in relation to annual leave will come into force on 6 April 2026.<\/p>\n<p>On 3 February the government published a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/implementing-the-plan-to-make-work-pay-and-employment-rights-act\/plan-to-make-work-pay-and-employment-rights-act-timeline-update\">revised timetable<\/a> for implementation of the Employment Rights Act 2025 (<strong>ERA<\/strong>). Whilst most of the timing remains unchanged from the roadmap published in July 2025, there are some notable changes, particularly in relation to the restrictions on fire and rehire, which move to January 2027.<\/p>\n<p>We set out below the revised timetable for changes under the ERA and otherwise.<\/p>\n<p><strong>February 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The repeal\u00a0of the\u00a0great\u00a0majority\u00a0of the Trade Union Act 2016, simplifying requirements on trade unions in respect of ballot and action notices, removing the requirement for a picket supervisor and extending protection against dismissal for taking protected industrial action to the whole period of the action.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Employees that are newly eligible for \u2018Day 1\u2019 paternity leave and unpaid parental leave can give notice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>1 April 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>From 1 April 2026, the National Minimum Wage will increase, with the rate for workers aged 21+ rising to \u00a312.71 per hour. The 18\u201320 age group rate rises to \u00a310.85, and the 16\u201317 and apprentice rates increase to \u00a38.00. The accommodation offset rises to \u00a311.10.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a06 April 2026\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Collective redundancy protective award \u2013 doubling the maximum period of the protective award. Guidance suggests that this\u00a0change will apply to dismissals which happen on or after 6 April.<\/li>\n<li>\u2018Day 1\u2019 paternity leave and unpaid parental leave.<\/li>\n<li>Whistleblowing\u00a0\u2013\u00a0strengthening protections for\u00a0workers who \u2018blow the whistle\u2019 on sexual harassment.<\/li>\n<li>Bereaved\u00a0Partners\u2019\u00a0Paternity Leave\u00a0will\u00a0enable bereaved fathers and partners to take up to 52 weeks of paternity leave if the mother\u00a0or\u00a0primary adopter\u00a0dies within the first year of the child\u2019s life\u00a0.<\/li>\n<li>Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) \u2013 removing the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL)\u00a0and waiting period.<\/li>\n<li>Action plans on gender equality and supporting employees through the menopause (voluntary).<\/li>\n<li>Menopause guidance.<\/li>\n<li>Simplifying the trade union recognition process.<\/li>\n<li>Statutory Maternity Pay, Maternity Allowance, Adoption Pay, and Shared Parental Pay increase to \u00a3194.32 per week (or 90% of earnings if lower).<\/li>\n<li>SSP increases to \u00a3123.25 per week (or 80% of pay if lower).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>7 April 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Fair Work Agency will be established, with Matthew Taylor CBE appointed as its first chair, but will not begin exercising its enforcement powers until a date yet to be confirmed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>July 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Although the reduction of the qualifying period for unfair dismissal does not take effect until January 2027, it will apply to employees already in employment at that date, meaning that anyone hired before the end of June 2026 will gain the protection from January.<\/p>\n<p><strong>August 2026\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Introduction of electronic and workplace balloting\u00a0for statutory trade union ballots.<\/p>\n<p><strong>October 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bringing forward regulations to\u00a0establish\u00a0the Fair Pay Agreement Adult Social Care Negotiating Body\u00a0in England.<\/li>\n<li>Procurement \u2013 two-tier code.<\/li>\n<li>Tightening tipping law.<\/li>\n<li>The duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade union.<\/li>\n<li>Strengthening trade unions\u2019 right of access.<\/li>\n<li>Requiring employers to take \u2018all&#8217; reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees.<\/li>\n<li>Introducing an obligation on employers not to\u00a0permit\u00a0the harassment of their employees by third parties.<\/li>\n<li>Introducing a power to enable regulations to specify steps that are to be regarded as \u2018reasonable\u2019,\u00a0to\u00a0determine\u00a0whether an employer has taken all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment.<\/li>\n<li>Regulation of unfair practices in the trade union recognition process.<\/li>\n<li>New rights and protections for trade union representatives.<\/li>\n<li>Extending protections against detriments for taking industrial action.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Not earlier than October 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Extension of employment tribunal time limits to six months.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>January 2027<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Reduction of unfair dismissal qualifying period to 6 months for\u00a0dismissals\u00a0from\u00a01 January 2027,\u00a0and removal of the statutory caps on unfair dismissal compensation.<\/li>\n<li>Restrictions on fire and rehire.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>In\u00a02027<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Action plans on gender equality and supporting employees through the menopause (mandatory).<\/li>\n<li>Enhanced dismissal protection for pregnant women and new mothers.<\/li>\n<li>Specifying steps that are to be regarded as \u2018reasonable\u2019,\u00a0to\u00a0determine\u00a0whether an employer has taken all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment.<\/li>\n<li>Extending blacklisting\u00a0protections.<\/li>\n<li>Industrial relations framework.<\/li>\n<li>Regulation of umbrella companies.<\/li>\n<li>Collective redundancy \u2013 new collective consultation threshold<\/li>\n<li>Flexible working<\/li>\n<li>Bereavement leave\u00a0including pregnancy loss<\/li>\n<li>Guaranteed hours contracts and shift notice for zero and low hours workers.<\/li>\n<li>Electronic and workplace balloting for recognition and derecognition ballots.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Timing still unknown<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The ERA will also introduce further restrictions on the use of non-disclosure agreements, but these are not mentioned in the revised timetable.<\/p>\n<p>Share this article with your LinkedIn network: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=https:\/\/blogs.dlapiper.com\/beaware\/revised-timetable-for-implementation-of-the-employment-rights-act-2025\/\">https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=https:\/\/blogs.dlapiper.com\/beaware\/revised-timetable-for-implementation-of-the-employment-rights-act-2025\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>**Update**\u00a0The obligation on employers to keep records that are \u2018adequate to show\u2019 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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,9316],"tags":[9111,100,9307],"class_list":["post-18315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-employment","category-era-latest-news","tag-employment-law-reform","tag-employment-law-reforms","tag-employment-rights-act"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dlapiper.com\/beaware\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dlapiper.com\/beaware\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dlapiper.com\/beaware\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dlapiper.com\/beaware\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dlapiper.com\/beaware\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dlapiper.com\/beaware\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18315\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dlapiper.com\/beaware\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dlapiper.com\/beaware\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dlapiper.com\/beaware\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}