Author Archives: Darren Newman
What does ‘all’ reasonable steps mean?
As we have seen, some of the reforms introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025 are extremely complex. Others are a bit more straightforward. Here’s a simple one: 20 Employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment In … Continue reading
Paid time off to attend union meetings?
A key provision of the Employment Rights Act 2025 comes into force on 30 October. From that date unions will be able to seek access agreements with employers. This can cover physical or virtual access but typically an access agreement … Continue reading
Protecting pregnant employees from dismissal
The Government has announced that it will introduce new protections against dismissal for pregnant women and new mothers from October 2027. This is a change that was teed up in the Employment Rights Act 2025, creating a regulation-making power but … Continue reading
Tackling ‘bogus self-employment’
At the Labour Party conference a couple of weeks ago, the Business Secretary announced that a forthcoming consultation would seek to address the issue of bogus self-employment. Delphine Strauss wrote about it in the Financial Times – and she was … Continue reading
Is the government serious about guaranteed hours?
A good chunk of the Employment Rights Act 2025 is given over to a right that is not yet in force – the right to be offered guaranteed hours. This is the method that the Government has chosen for tackling … Continue reading
Is the trade union right of access a game-changer?
One of the challenges of assessing legislation like the Employment Rights Act 2025 is figuring out what it important and what isn’t. You see it every time. A new piece of legislation is accompanied by breathless articles and LinkedIn posts … Continue reading
Sacking a hero? How limited is the right not to be unfairly dismissed?
While we all worry about the implications of reducing the qualifying period for unfair dismissal it is perhaps worth thinking about what the right not to be unfairly dismissed actually amounts to. I was out with friends last night who … Continue reading
Holiday Pay and the Fair Work Agency
One item on the list of ‘things you didn’t notice in the Employment Rights Act 2025’ is the duty to keep records relating to annual leave and holiday pay. Section 35 of the Act introduces a new Regulation 16B into … Continue reading
Employment Rights Act 2025 – doubling the ‘protective award’
One of the most simple and straightforward provisions of the Employment Rights Act 2025 is also one of the most consequential – at least for larger employers. Section 30 makes a change to S.189 of the Trade Union and Labour … Continue reading
The Employment Rights Bill reaches the endgame
It was close – but the Employment Rights Bill failed to pass last night. The Lords voted down the Government’s proposal to scrap the compensation limit on unfair dismissal and so the process of ‘ping-pong’ must continue. There were basically … Continue reading
