Potential Delays in Implementing New Workers' Rights Laws in the UK

The UK Government has promised to introduce a range of new laws to bolster employee protections, including the right to "switch off" from work, a ban on zero-hour contracts, and a right to flexible working. However, despite the Government's insistence on introducing the Employment Rights Bill within the first 100 days of its administration, it appears that much of the new legislation may not be implemented in practice until 2026.

According to sources in the business and political sectors, the initial legislation brought before Parliament will not contain the full range of workers' rights measures promised during the general election campaign. Instead, the Government plans to introduce secondary legislation and use non-legislative methods to introduce further rights for employees throughout the next year, with little of it likely to be fully implemented until 2026.

This delay, while not unusual for the implementation of major new legislation, follows a forceful lobbying campaign from business groups. These groups have urged the government to not only water down some of its initial plans but also to delay them to ensure companies can fully prepare for the changes.?

The passage of the Bill and subsequent legislation is dependent on the time it takes to get through the House of Lords, and even after the Bill becomes law, there is typically an implementation period before the legislation comes into force. This means that people could be forced to wait more than a year for the right to not be contacted by their bosses outside working hours, to be given full employment rights from the first day in the job, and the right to request to work from home at least some of the week.?

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has faced significant pressure from various sectors to water down and delay the implementation of the new laws. While Reynolds and Chancellor Rachel Reeves are understood to have sided with business over the changes to the Bill, they have reportedly clashed with Labour's Deputy Leader Angela Rayner, who has been championing more stringent workers' rights.?

The hospitality sector, in particular, has expressed concerns over a ban on zero-hour contracts, claiming that these contracts benefit both casual staff and business owners. As a result of lobbying from business, Labour has changed its language on zero-hour contracts, backtracking from an outright ban to a bar on "exploitative zero-hour contracts," with the revised proposal allowing employees to choose a zero-hour option.?

It is also understood that the Government may agree to exempt businesses with fewer than 10 employees from most of the new employment laws, with other smaller businesses potentially being given additional time to implement them beyond 2026.

The potential delays in implementation may leave many employees waiting for the promised protections. As the Employment Rights Bill makes its way through Parliament, it will be crucial to strike a balance between the needs of workers and the concerns of businesses to ensure a smooth and timely implementation of these important reforms.

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