Our dashboard breaks down what’s in the Employment Rights Act, showing how these reforms will transform employment law.
After a protracted period of parliamentary ping-pong, the Employment Rights Act was finally agreed on 16 December 2025.
This introduces sweeping changes that are set to reshape the landscape of employment law. By topic, our dashboard clarifies the current legal position and what it will look like under the Act.
In terms of when these changes will take effect, on 1 July 2025 the government published a roadmap for the delivery, ending speculation on potential implementation dates. On 21 January the government confirmed in writing that it remains committed to these timelines. The dates in our dashboard are based on this roadmap, as modified to reflect milestones which have already been missed. See our timeline for an overview of implementation.
Additional reforms outside the scope of the Act were outlined in the government’s ‘Next Steps to Make Work Pay’. These are also detailed here.
Now: Employees need to work for 2 years before they have the right not to be unfairly dismissed. Employers must give written reasons for dismissal to employees with 2 years’ service on request.
What the Act says: Although Labour originally promised day 1 unfair dismissal rights, during parliamentary ping-pong, the government accepted a House of Lords amendment...
PORTLAND, Maine (WGME) -- A week after employees at the Holy Donut on Park Avenue in Portland told the company they were looking to unionize, the company now says those workers made false accusati...