Articles
Equality action plans meet the new union equality representative role: what Universities need to know
06 Oct 2026The Employment Rights Act 2025 creates two interconnected equality mechanisms that University HR teams and executive and governance boards will need to understand and engage with.
Tracker: Employment Rights Act
25 Sept 2026The Employment Rights Act will make significant reforms changes to many aspects of employment law.
New duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade union delayed
25 Sept 2026Employers will soon be required to give workers a written statement explaining their right to join a trade union. The Government has now confirmed what the statement must contain and how it must be provided. It expects the duty to come into force between December 2026 and January 2027, rather than in October 2026 as previously indicated.
Government confirms new consultation process and reasonableness test for statutory flexible working requests from autumn 2027
25 Sept 2026Following consultation, the government has confirmed that regulations prescribing a new process for handling flexible working requests, and the new reasonableness test under the Employment Rights Act 2025, will both take effect in autumn 2027.
Employment tribunals must clearly explain the basis for aggravated damages awards in discrimination cases
25 Sept 2026Tribunals awarding aggravated damages must identify a specific aggravating factor, explain what further injury it caused and ensure that this is not already compensated by an injury to feelings award.
Government confirms details of new statutory bereavement leave entitlement
23 Sept 2026From April 2027, employees will have a day one right to up to two weeks' bereavement leave, covering a wide range of family relationships, and pregnancy loss before 24 weeks.
