Articles

The government has published guidance to help employers prepare gender equality action plans ahead of a new reporting requirement expected to become mandatory from 2027.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 (the Act) is set to introduce significant reforms that will reshape the legal framework for employers. For colleges, one of the most important areas of change will be the rules governing unfair dismissal. These reforms, due to come into force on 1 January 2027, will have important implications for recruitment, probation management and early-stage employment decisions across the further education sector.

Some of the most significant reforms in the Employment Rights Act 2025 (the Act) affecting school employers are expected to take effect in January 2027. These include restrictions on fire-and-rehire practices, a reduction in the qualifying period for unfair dismissal protection and the removal of the statutory compensation cap for unfair dismissal claims.

The government has published a consultation on the scope of new protections against detriment for workers taking official industrial action introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025.

The government has launched a consultation on how to set a new organisation-wide threshold for collective redundancy obligations. The consultation closes on 21 May 2026, with the new regime expected to take effect in 2027.

The first substantive tranche of trade union reforms under the Employment Rights Act 2025 came into force on 18 February 2026.