A new timetable for the next reforms

The UK government has set new dates for the next stages of its employment-rights overhaul, giving employers, workers and trade unions a clearer timetable for changes arriving between August and the end of October.

The update, published on 7 August, forms part of the government's Plan to Make Work Pay and the implementation of the Employment Rights Act 2025. The reforms are being phased rather than introduced on a single commencement date.

Electronic union ballots from 25 August

Electronic and workplace balloting for statutory trade union ballots is scheduled to take effect on 25 August 2026. The measure changes how unions can conduct legally required votes, adding digital and workplace options to the existing framework.

Further electronic and workplace balloting for recognition and derecognition ballots is listed separately for 2027, showing that the August change does not complete every part of the union-ballot reforms.

Tribunal time limit doubles

From 1 October, the time limit for bringing a claim to an Employment Tribunal is due to increase from three months to six months. For breach-of-employment-contract claims in Scotland, the corresponding change is scheduled for 9 November.

A longer filing window can affect how quickly disputes are resolved and how long businesses need to preserve records and prepare for possible claims. It also gives workers more time to decide whether to begin formal proceedings.

The timetable turns a broad employment-law overhaul into a sequence of concrete deadlines for unions, employers and workers.

Harassment and union duties on 30 October

A larger package is scheduled for 30 October. Employers will be required to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of employees and will face an obligation not to permit harassment by third parties.

Trade union reforms due on the same date include a duty to inform workers of their right to join a union, stronger union access rights, changes to recognition procedures and additional protections for union representatives and people taking industrial action.

More changes follow in 2027

January 2027 is scheduled to bring a six-month qualifying period for unfair-dismissal protection, uncapped compensatory awards and new fire-and-rehire protections. Other measures planned during 2027 include guaranteed-hours rights, reasonable notice of shifts, bereavement leave, flexible-working changes and restrictions on the misuse of non-disclosure agreements in harassment or discrimination cases.

The dates are not completely fixed. The government says all future commencement dates remain subject to parliamentary processes and may change, while some 2027 timings will be updated after consultation. The August update is therefore the clearest current schedule, not the final word on every measure.