Employment Rights Bill Timeline

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The Employment Rights Bill is seen as the biggest shake up in employment legislation in a generation.

The Government has already begun consulting on these reforms, but they are unlikely to take effect earlier than 2026. You should start now to ensure you have sufficient time to consider the options available and put them in practice.

Our Employment Team have set out all of the latest developments for you, so you can keep on top of the Bill and how it progresses over time.

10 October 2024 - The Bill is presented to the House of Commons

The Bill is presented to the House of Commons and has its first reading. The Government publishes ‘Next Steps to Make Work Pay’ setting out how it will deliver its plan to make work pay.

21 October 2024 - The Bill has its second reading in the House of Commons

21 October 2024 - The Government publishes 4 consultations on the Bill

The Government publishes 4 consultations on the Bill dealing with industrial relations, collective redundancy and fire and rehire, zero hours contracts and agency workers and statutory sick pay.

26 November 2024 - House of Commons Committee Stage

27 November 2024 - An amendment paper is published

An amendment paper is published, listing all amendments tabled to the Bill. The most important one would extend the time limit for bringing tribunal claims from 3 to 6 months.

2 December 2024 - The Department for Business & Trade is consulting on:

Modernising the legislative framework that underpins trade unions
Strengthening remedies against abuse of rules on collective redundancy and fire and rehire (i.e. introducing interim relief claims in protective award and fire and rehire cases).
The application of the zero hours contracts measures in the Bill to agency workers

4 December 2024 - The Department for Work and Pensions consult on Statutory Sick Pay

The Department for Work and Pensions is consulting on making changes to Statutory Sick Pay.

16 January 2025 - Commons Committee Stage completes

Commons Committee Stage completes and the Committee approves all of the Government’s amendments.

4 March 2025 - The Government publishes its responses to the 4 consultations on the Bill

The Government publishes its responses to the 4 consultations on the Bill that closed in December 2024.

4 & 5 March 2025 - The Government publishes a large number of amendments to the Bill

The Government publishes a large number of amendments to the Bill for consideration at the report stage.

11 & 12 March 2025 - Commons report stage

Commons report stage and third reading of the Bill.

14 March 2025 - First Reading

The Bill is introduced in the House of Lords and has its first reading.

27 March 2025 - Second Reading

The Bill is introduced in The Bill has its second reading in the House of Lords.

23 April 2025 - Amendment Paper

Government amendments to the Bill are published for consideration at the House of Lords Committee stage.

29 April 2025 - House of Lords Committee Stage

The Committee Stage in the House of Lords begins.

25 June 2025 - Finished Committee Stage

The Committee Stage in the House of Lords comes to an end.

July 2025 - Government plan to implement the Employment Rights Bill

The Government has published an ‘implementation roadmap’ for the Employment Rights Bill. It highlights that significant changes will arrive from as soon as April next year.

14 July 2025 - Lords Report Stage

Summer/Autumn 2025 - Further Consultation

Consultation due to take place on day 1 unfair dismissal rights, fair pay agreement for the Adult Social Care Sector and reinstating the school support staff negotiating body.

Autumn 2025 - Further Consultation

Consultation due to take place on Trade Union measures (e.g. balloting, simplifying trade union recognition, duty to inform staff of right to join a trade union), fire and rehire and regulating umbrella companies, bereavement leave, rights to pregnant workers and ending the use of exploitative zero hours contracts.