Workplace Compass: Employment Rights Bill hub

The Government has reversed its manifesto pledge to introduce day one unfair dismissal protections in a bid to keep the Employment Rights Bill on track. 

Peers again backed substantial changes to the Bill in a series of decisive votes, setting up another return to the Commons and raising questions over the timetable for Royal Assent and beyond.

The Employment Rights Bill has experienced further delays in its parliamentary progression, with the House of Lords again supporting amendments that would directly affect healthcare employers and the wider health and social care workforce.

With major reforms to dismissal rights on the horizon, independent schools have only a limited window to review staffing models and implement any planned contractual changes before flexibility is significantly reduced.

The Bill will return to the House of Lords again before Royal Assent.  

The House of Commons debated the Employment Rights Bill on Wednesday, following the Lords' opposition last week to key government proposals. Despite a lengthy and animated debate, MPs supported the government's position and voted to reject all Lords' amendments.  The Bill will therefore return to the Lords once again for further consideration. 

The House of Lords has reinserted a number of amendments previously rejected by the Commons, meaning the Employment Rights Bill will return for further consideration.

Four consultations seek views on new rights under the Employment Rights Bill, covering trade union access, union membership information, pregnancy and maternity protections, and bereavement leave.

The Employment Rights Bill has now cleared its final hurdles in the House of Commons, bringing Royal Assent within sight.

With Parliament in recess for party conference season, employers will need to wait a little longer for certainty on the Employment Rights Bill.