The Employment Rights Bill 2025 has stalled after the House of Lords tabled several key amendments, which have become “a real bone of contention”, according to Catherine Hare, employment law specialist at Forbes Solicitors.
Hare said that one of the lords’ key interventions is their proposal for a six-month qualifying period before employees can bring an unfair dismissal claim – directly contradicting the bill’s promise of a day-one right.
“This is a significant departure from what the government set out,” Hare explained, warning that the divergence has slowed progress at a crucial point in the bill’s passage.
Lords have also pushed for greater clarity around zero-hours and minimum-hours contracts. They want workers on such contracts to be able to opt out of guaranteed-hours arrangements and are calling for a statutory definition of “seasonal work”, which would take into account fluctuating staffing needs throughout the year.
Trade union provisions remain another sticking point. The Lords oppose the automatic enrolment of union members into political funds, cautioning that an opt-out system could lead to workers contributing “without explicitly choosing to participate”, Hare pointed out.
Their concerns extend to planned reforms to strike ballot rules. The bill seeks to remove the requirement for at least 50% of eligible union members to vote in ballots authorising industrial action – an approach the Lords reject.
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