Updated in April 2025: Improving the rights of workers was in the heart of the manifesto of the Labor Party for the General Elections of 2024, and on July 17, 2024, the King highlighted the plans of the new Labor Government to reform the Employment Law, as well as to improve the state of the United Kingdom’s economy.
Below are some of the key changes that workers in the United Kingdom can expect from the government and what companies need to know about them.
Five key changes in the Employment Law: What is job planning?
1. Introduction of the labor rights bill
The King’s speech mentioned the new labor rights bill, which will allow Labor to prohibit exploitation practices such as “fires and reform” and zero -hour contracts. As of April 2025, the bill is going through the Chamber of Lords, after a set of amendments presented in March.
Restrict fire tactics and hire again
When an employee is dismissed and then hires again with a new employment contract, it is an act or “dismissal and shouting.” While it is not illegal, this practice has received attention because employers tend to use it to reduce general costs or working conditions.
The Fire and Despire Code, published in February 2024, details how employers should use this practice. The labor, however, intends to try to complete Ban Fire and again hire. Calling the “inappropriate” code, the Employment Rights bill will seek to restrict thesis practices by closing the gaps that allow it to happen. However, fire and collection can still be an option only when companies do not have an alternative way to restructure.
Guaranteed hours for zero -hour workers and agencies
Labing plans to try to improve working conditions for low -payment employees, and has focused on the workers receiving guaranteed hours and the right to a reasonable warning when changes and plans change.
In the last decade, zero-gor contracts are increasing, causing an increase in less safe work. The “unique flexibility” of these contracts has made them exploiter, pushing the Labor to seek ways to offer a “security reference level.”
The amendments presented extend these rights to the agency workers, as well as those of zero -road contracts.
Improved protection for mothers in operation
Recent legislation extended redundancy protection for pregnant women six months after they return from motherhood. The work wants to extend this level of protection for all types or dismissal. They emphasize that dismissal will be legal in certain circumstances, but this has not yet been defined.
Fair payment
Labor plans to ensure that the minimum wage is a true salary worthy of the United Kingdom in which workers can trust. Therefore, they want to eliminate discriminatory age bands in all adult workers and ensure that the mandate of the low -paid commission is altered to take into account the cost of living. Moreover, a “fair payment agreement” will be established in the adult care sector.
Protection of unfair dismissal since the first day
Work highlights that changing work is decreasing since people want their basic rights that are only offered after a few years of service; However, staying so long could negatively affect the productivity of an employee.
The bill will provide workers with protection against unfair dismissal from day one. This differs from current laws, since employees require at least two years of service to be eligible for unfair dismissal protection. Exceptions are likely to be imposed, such as probatical periods, and the government has not yet provided more clarity about this.
In addition, other day one rights to incorporate include parental license, payment for legal illness and flexible work.
Strengthen unions
The Labor Party has always been supported by unions, which is one of the reasons why, now, the party is looking to strengthen them. The manifesto of the general elections of work highlighted the importance of a better representation of the workers and promises to update the union legislation to “adapt to the modern economy.”
Unnecessary restrictions on union activities will be eliminated so as not to interrupt negotiations between unions and employers; Moreoover, unions will be given better access to employees to meet and represent them properly. For this, the unions do not have to request permission, but to provide a prior notice of their arrival and comply with employers requests.
2.
The King’s speech mentioned a bill that would guarantee racial equality and salary equality in the law. Work has identified that disabled employees earn, on average, a lower income compared to non -disabled employees. Therefore, they have proposed a new bill to address the salary problems faced by ethnic minorities and disabled people.
This bill will guarantee ethnic minorities and disabled people who are not paid properly have the power to submit an unequal salary claim. In addition, to address the issue of the reports of the Salary Gap of Ethnicity and Disability, the bill will cause the mandatory thesis reports to be mandatory.
A call to the Government for evidence is open to help shape the Equality Law is open until June 30, 2025.
3. Increased duration or time the employee may pay attention to the court
Previously, the Government promised the right to disconnect/disconnect to establish a clearer balance between work and life, but this was filed in silence.
The time limit for employees who make a claim of the Employment Court has extended three to six months. Claims could include sexual harassment, denouncing irregularities and unfair dismissal, all of which are also mentioned in the Employment Rights Law.
Better support for menopause at work
The Faculty of Occupational Medicine of London (FOM) reported that almost 8 out of 10 women go through menopause while they are still working. It also has informed bone that, although three women experience symptoms, one in four face serious symptoms that could negatively affect work.
However, it is not only in the work that women of thesis suffer. Once menopause begins to enter into force, women even consider retiring due to their impact. Therefore, work has promised to improve the support of menopause by making employers with more than 250 employees report on how they plan to support their employees.
5. Delrogation of the anti-Strike legislation
Introduced by the Tory Government, the strike law (minimum service levels) received a real assent in 2023. The law allowed organizations to impose the minimum levels of service of the door door to ensure that the lives and support of people are strikes.
However, with the change in the political ruling, the strike law has been subject to scrutiny once again. The Labor Party has recently announced that they will repeat the “Vindictive” legislet. Making importance to the fundamental freedom of working persons, the part aims to discard the law to give way to Dut and better associations.
Separation thoughts
The next changes in the Employment Law mean that companies must remain alert to the changes, understand when these changes will come into force and how the new laws will affect them. Employers are encouraged to seek legal advice at an early stage to better understand what their obligations are and how to fulfill them.
Chris Hadrill is a partner of Redmans Employment Team.
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