EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS BILL PASSES THROUGH PARLIAMENT

EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS BILL PASSES THROUGH PARLIAMENT

As branches may be aware, the Employment Rights Bill passed through the House of Lords yesterday, meaning it has now passed all of the necessary votes to become law. The Bill will receive Royal Assent shortly and after a standard waiting period of a few months, the Employment Rights Act will then become law in 2026.

Following this, there will be a staggered implementation of different aspects of the Bill but we expect most provisions to be in place in early 2027. Almost all of the new trade union rights will be introduced in Spring 2026.

This Bill is a genuine improvement to millions of working people’s lives that has been fought for by unions after nearly a decade of campaigning. The CWU can be proud of launching the New Deal for Workers campaign in 2016 and the pivotal role we have played in securing these important rights. Unelected Lords and business interests have tried to stop this Bill from going through but I am pleased to say they have not succeeded.

However, the work does not stop here. The CWU, alongside other unions, will continue to campaign for the swift and effective implementation of the policies in the legislation. Many regulations and practical elements of the policies will be decided in secondary legislation and we will continue to lobby the government to ensure that they are implemented in the strongest way possible.

There are also other parts of the New Deal for Workers that are not contained within the Bill itself but the government will be reviewing as part of the Make Work Pay manifesto commitments. This includes taking further action on the gig economy, introducing further sectoral collective bargaining measures and creating a single status of worker. The CWU will be campaigning strongly for these policies and we will keep branches updated with the progress of these other initiatives as developments occur.

I want to thank every branch, representative and member who has supported our campaign over the last nine years. This is a historic moment that we can all be proud of and an important step in restoring power to workers across all sectors of our economy.

If you have any questions, please contact the General Secretary’s department at dlynch@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely                            

Dave Ward                                                   

General Secretary                                     

LTB 276/25 – EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS BILL PASSES THROUGH PARLIAMENT

View Online