The Government will today announce details of new rights for workers, including plans to ban exploitative zero-hours contracts and “unscrupulous” fire and rehire practices which it said will benefit millions of workers. Ministers described the Employment Rights Bill as the biggest boost to pay and productivity in the workplace in a generation. Unions warmly welcomed the measures as a “seismic shift” from the low pay, low productivity economy they accused the previous Conservative government of presiding over.
There are 28 separate changes in the Bill, with most of them not expected to be implemented before the autumn of 2026. Some measures, such as the right to “switch off” at the end of a working day, are not in the Bill but will be included in a so-called Next Steps document for further consideration and consultation. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner (Image: Chris Furlong/PA Wire) Under the Bill, the existing two-year qualifying period for protections from unfair dismissal will be removed and workers will have the right from the first day in a job.
Ministers say this will benefit nine million workers who have been with their employer for less than two years. There will be consultations on a new statutory period, with ministers promising employers a “lighter touch” process covering dismissals. The Bill also spells out day one rights for paternity, parental and bereavement leave for millions of workers, while statutory sick pay will be paid from the first d.