The government has updated the timetable for implementing key changes in the Employment Rights Act 2025.
A number of measures relating to trade unions and industrial action, including protections against dismissal for taking industrial action, came into effect on 18 February 2026. Also from 18 February, employees who are newly eligible for ‘Day 1’ Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave can give notice.
The following measures will take effect on 6 April 2026:
- The maximum protective award for failure to consult in collective redundancy will increase from 90 days’ pay to 180 days’ pay;
- Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave will be available from the first day of employment;
- Protections for workers who ‘blow the whistle’ on sexual harassment will be strengthened;
- Bereaved Partners’ Paternity Leave will enable bereaved fathers and partners to take up to 52 weeks of Paternity Leave if the mother or primary adopter dies within the first year of the child’s life;
- The waiting period and the Lower Earnings Limit for Statutory Sick Pay will be removed;
- The trade union recognition process will be simplified.
A number of measures are scheduled to take effect in October 2026, including the duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade union, requiring employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees, introducing an obligation on employers not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties, new rights and protections for trade union representatives, and extending protections against detriments for taking industrial action.
The increase in the time limit for bringing an Employment Tribunal claim from three months to six months is scheduled to take place in or after October.