As the growing season approaches, many rural estates will rely on temporary or seasonal workers to meet demand for planting, harvesting and packing crops. While seasonal labour is an established feature of agriculture, the legal landscape is changing, and there are key areas estates should be thinking about now to reduce risk and ensure compliance.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 will bring significant changes for employers who rely on flexible or variable-hours arrangements.
As of April 2026, the three-day waiting period and minimum earnings threshold for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) have been removed, so that eligible employees will qualify for SSP from their first day of absence, regardless of how much they earn.
Eligible employees must have 'employment status' for SSP purposes, have done some work for the employer, have been ill for at least one full day, and satisfy the other eligibility conditions under the scheme. The changes to SSP are of particular relevance to lower paid, part-time and casual employees, many of whom were previously excluded because they did not earn above the minimum earnings threshold. SSP is paid at 123.25 per week or 80% of normal weekly earnings, whichever is lower.
From 2027, employers will need to offer guaranteed hours contracts (ie a set, minimum number of working hours) to qualifying workers, reflecting the hours worked in a particular reference period. If a worker is only needed for a temporary demand, it will be...
By Olivia GomesMay 18, 20260 comments WASHINGTON — A new analysis published by The Atlantic argues that election denial movements once viewed as politically fringe are becoming increasingly embedd...