Consultations currently open for retailers to have their say - Employment Rights Bill update

With the Employment Rights Bill is now in its final stages in Parliament, there’s still an opportunity to get involved and help shape these future employment law changes.

November 2025 Update

The Employment Rights Bill is now in its final stages in Parliament.

On 5th November 2025, the House of Commons considered the House of Lords amendments, but rejected most amendments suggested, essentially keeping the main changes as originally proposed. The Bill returned to the House of Lords on 17th November 2025 and will ‘ping pong’ between the two Houses until a final version is agreed.

Once the final version is agreed, the Bill will receive Royal Assent and the implementation of all changes will be staggered as outlined in the Governments Roadmap. 
 
There’s still an opportunity to get involved and help shape these future employment law changes. The consultations listed below are currently open for your input.

• Right of access for trade union officials - Make Work Pay: trade union right of access - GOV.UK. This closes on 18 December 2025. This change, according to the roadmap, is scheduled to come into force in October 2026.
• Duty to be informed of right to join a trade union - Make Work Pay: duty to inform workers of right to join a union - GOV.UK. This also closes on 18 December and is due to come into force in October 2026.
• Enhanced dismissal protection for pregnant women and new mothers - Make Work Pay: enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers - GOV.UK. This closes on 15 January 2026. This is pencilled in for 2027.
• Leave for bereavement and other pregnancy loss - Make Work Pay: leave for bereavement including pregnancy loss - GOV.UK. This also closes on 15 January 2026, coming into force in 2027.

At Bira, we’re committed to keeping you fully up to date on all developments related to the Employment Rights Bill; keep an eye on our hub for the latest updates. If you have any questions about how the changes might affect your business, our BIRA Legal team of experts are here to help and can be reached on 0345 450 0937, quoting your membership number.

Image credit: Monster Ztudio/stock.adobe.com