The Employment Rights Act 2025 is now law and will bring in the biggest set of changes to UK employment rules in a generation. Rather than everything changing at once, the Government is introducing the new measures in stages over the next couple of years, giving employers time to understand what’s coming and prepare properly.
To support this, a new Government website has been launched, bringing all the key information together in one place. The site is designed to give practical guidance for employers and workers, including clear timelines, summaries of the main changes and links to more detailed advice. CEA members can find it here:
https://www.business.gov.uk/campaign/employment-changes/
The changes cover a wide range of areas relevant to many businesses in the construction equipment and plant sector, including statutory sick pay, family leave, redundancy protections, trade union rules, and the enforcement of workplace rights. Some of the first measures are due to come into effect from 2026, with further reforms following in 2027.
One of the earlier changes will be to statutory sick pay, with more workers becoming eligible and the removal of both the earnings threshold and the waiting period before payment starts. Family leave rights are also being extended, including day-one rights for some types of leave and the introduction of a new bereaved partner’s paternity leave. At the same time, protections around collective redundancy consultation and whistleblowing are being strengthened, and a new Fair Work Agency is being created to support enforcement and compliance.
Later reforms will include changes to unfair dismissal qualifying periods and new rights aimed at providing more predictable working hours for those on low or variable hours contracts. While these are still some way off, the Government is keen for employers to start planning now rather than reacting at the last minute.
Alongside the main guidance pages, the Government has also published a series of factsheets explaining each measure in more detail, including what the change is intended to do, how it may affect employers and when it is expected to come into force. These can all be accessed via the same hub:
https://www.business.gov.uk/campaign/employment-changes/
For CEA members, this is a good moment to make sure HR teams, managers and business owners are aware of what is coming, to review existing policies and contracts, and to start thinking about what will need to change over the next 12 to 24 months.
The CEA will continue to keep members informed as further details and consultations are published, but in the meantime we strongly encourage members to use the Government’s guidance site as the main reference point for understanding the new employment landscape and preparing their businesses for the changes ahead.
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