On 23 October 2025, the Government launched a series of consultations on reforms under the Employment Rights Bill (ERB), covering family rights and trade union reform. Businesses and workers are invited to share their views on how these reforms should work in practice.
This article summarises the consultations on trade union reforms, including proposals on union access rights and the duty to inform workers of their right to join a union. For details on the family rights consultations, see here.
The ERB introduces reforms aimed at modernising industrial relations, with trade union reforms including strengthening collective bargaining rights and trade union recognition. We have provided a full overview of key reforms affecting trade unions here: Trade union reforms under the Employment Rights Bill: what employers need to know.
The Government has published two consultations on aspects of trade union reform:
Both consultations remain open until 18 December 2025, with reforms expected to come into effect in October 2026.
Currently, trade unions do not have a general statutory right of access to workplaces; access is only available through voluntary agreements or individual trade union members.
The ERB sets out a new framework for union rights of access, including a statutory process for making requests, overseen by the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC). The consultation seeks views on proposals for how this should operate in practice,...
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