Breaking news – Employment Rights Act 2025 and Trade Union Update

The Government confirmed today (25 September 2026) that the new duty placed on employers to provide workers with a written statement informing them of their rights to join a trade union is set to not come into force until “December 2026 - January 2027” on a date to be confirmed.

This marks a major delay in the introduction of one of the Employment Rights Act flagship policies which was originally meant to be implemented on 30 October 2026. The delay comes as good news for employers who will now have more time to understand the policy and revise their documentation and staff handbooks accordingly, when it was starting to appear that they would only have a few weeks to do so.    

Despite this delay, employers should still be preparing ahead of the policy coming into place. The Government are set to issue a standard statement, which employers “may not amend expect to add specific workplace information”.  Perhaps more controversially it is now known that employers will be required to reissue this statement or a reminder as to where it is annually.  

If you need any advice or have any questions on how this might apply to you, our Employment Team would be happy to assist. Please contact Eleanor Disney at edisney@leathesprior.co.uk.