Employment rights

UNISON will organise and negotiate to ensure that the Employment Rights Act become a reality in workplaces and campaign for further improvements to workplace rights

What is happening

Many rights of employees are set by laws and are legally binding, yet some employers continue to create working practices or conditions that do not comply with the current law, or that deserve to be challenged to change the law.

The government’s Employment Rights Act 2025 is set to make game-changing improvements to working life in Britain through a raft of new individual and collective rights, which will tackle injustices and empower workers.

For individuals, it includes:

Strengthened flexible working rights.
Ending exploitative zero-hours culture.
Sick pay from the first day you’re ill.
Bereavement leave widened to close family members.
Improved pregnancy and maternity rights.
New ‘day one’ rights to parental and paternity leave.

Collective rights to help UNISON support members, include:

New access and recognition rights.
Improvements to facility time so reps can better represent members.
Protections against detriment and dismissal when taking industrial action.
Improved collective redundancy provisions.
A new Fair Work Agency to help enforce rights and resolve disputes.
An Adult Social Care Negotiating Body to deliver a Fair Pay Agreement for care workers (in England at first).
A new School Support Staff Negotiating Body (in England at first).
A two-tier workforce code to stop outsourcing driving down pay and terms.

This act is a game changer. It’s the most significant piece of employment rights legislation in decades. And it will deliver real, positive change for working people

Sampson Low

UNISON head of policy

What UNISON is doing

UNISON supports members facing employment rights issues with online guides and legal services.

In UNISON we’ve campaigned, lobbied and mobilised to ensure the government’s employment rights bill was passed in parliament, despite a strong business lobby and opposition in the Lords. Now it is law, we believe the Employment Rights Act 2025 has the potential to transform the labour market, tackle injustice and empower workers.

UNISON will carry on campaigning to ensure promises are fulfilled and not watered down by business interest over the implementation period in the coming years.

You can check out the UNISON news section to find out the latest.

From Bill to Act to implementation