February 2026

• Protections against dismissal for taking industrial action. Removing the current 12-week limit for claiming unfair dismissal.
• Simplifying industrial action notices and industrial action ballot notices. This includes reducing the amount of notice needed from 14-days to 10 and increases the length of time industrial action mandates remain valid to 12 months from six.
• Repeal of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023.
• Repeal of the majority of the Trade Union Act 2016 (some provisions will be repealed via commencement order at a later date).
• Removing the 10-year ballot requirement for trade union political funds.

October 2026

The detail of how many of these changes will be implemented will be subject to further consultation.

• Fire and rehire measures - preventing employers from rehiring staff on more unfavourable terms.
• Requirement for employers to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment of their employees.
• Employers now liable for the harassment of their employees by third parties (ie customers or clients) unless they have taken "all reasonable steps" to prevent it happening.
• Tightening rules around tipping - employers must consult before creating a tipping policy and policies must be reviewed every three years.
• New duty on employers to inform workers of their right to join a trade union.
• Strengthen trade unions' right of access.
• New rights and protections for trade union representatives.
• Employment tribunal time limits to increase to six months for all claims - currently it is three months.
• Extending protections against detriments for taking industrial action.
• New measures for public sector outsourcing to avoid different terms and conditions for ex-public sector employees and private sector employees.
• Introduction of new Adult Social Care Negotiating Body.

2027

The detail of how many of these changes will be implemented will be subject to further consultation.

• Unfair dismissal protection will be provided to employees after six months down from two years (the government had proposed making this a day-one right, but amended the legislation).
• Flexible working - employers now required to explain why flexible working requests are rejected and why the decision was 'reasonable'.
• Bereavement leave will be made a statutory right.
• Zero-Hours workers will have the right to guaranteed hours, if they want them.
• Workers will have the right to be paid if a shift is cancelled, moved to another day or cut short by their employer.
• Strengthened protections against dismissal will be introduced for pregnant workers and those returning from maternity leave.
• Gender pay gap and menopause action plans will be made mandatory (introduced on a voluntary basis in April 2026).
• Collective redundancy – employers will have to consider the total of redundancies across entire organisation, not individual workplaces..
• A new industrial relations framework to help employers and trade unions work together.
• Extension of rules protecting trade union members from blacklisting.
• Expansion of the definition of agencies to include 'umbrella companies'.

The government also plans to specify steps that are to be regarded as “reasonable”, to determine whether an employer has taken all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment.