The Employment Rights Bill – Proposed Timetable

Following on from our earlier blogs on the Employment Rights Bill (ERB), we can now update you on the progress of the Bill.

Earlier this month (July 2025), the Government published a roadmap setting out its proposed timetable for further consultations on certain provisions of the ERB, and the rough dates on which key measures of the Bill will come into force.

To summarise:

• Summer to Autumn 2025 – there is expected to be a consultation on the introduction of day one unfair rights and the dismissal process required in the statutory probationary period.
• Autumn 2025 – there are expected to be further consultations on the ban on fire and rehire practices and the provisions relating to zero hours contracts, bereavement leave, increased rights for pregnant employees, regulation of umbrella companies, and trade unions.
• Winter 2025 to early 2026 – there will be further consultation on collective redundancies, tipping laws, flexible working and additional trade union measures.
• April 2026 – it is expected that certain provisions of the ERB will come into force including day one rights to paternity leave and parental leave (unpaid), the increase to the collective redundancy protective award, the reforms to statutory sick pay, additional whistleblowing protections, the introduction of electronic balloting for trade unions and the establishment of the Fair Work Agency. It’s also expected that equality action plans covering the measures that employers are taking to deal with any gender pay gap they may have and supporting employees going through the menopause will be introduced on a voluntary basis.
• October 2026 – it is expected that the following provisions will come into force; the ban on fire and re-hire practices, the extension of the time limit for making an Employment Tribunal claim from 3 months to 6 months, the requirement for employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment and the requirement for employers to prevent third party harassment of employees.
• 2027 – key measures of the ERB, which may be particularly onerous for employers, including day one unfair dismissal rights, measures relating to zero hour contracts and agency workers, mandatory equality action plans, increased rights for pregnant workers and the day one right to bereavement leave are expected to come into force in 2027.