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The Employment Rights Act introduces major reforms to UK employment law, with changes being implemented in stages from December 2025 through to 2027.

Employment Rights Act

The Act strengthens measures to improve pay transparency and support action on workplace inequalities. Equality Action Plans will help employers address gender pay gaps, while pay gap data can support unions and reps in challenging inequality and negotiating improvements.

Explore the guidance below to find out more about what these changes mean for you.

If you’re not already a union member, you can use our Union Finder tool to find out which one would be the best fit.

We also have a useful toolkit to guide you through the key reforms - Employment Rights Act toolkit.

Common
questions

What new protections will there be against harassment at work?

Employers will be required to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their workers in the course of employment. This raises the standard from the previous duty to take reasonable steps and places greater emphasis on preventing harassment before it occurs.

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Are there changes to the use of non-disclosure agreements in harassment cases?

Yes. The Act provides that certain contractual terms seeking to prevent workers from alleging or disclosing work-related harassment or discrimination will be void. This change is due to come into force during 2027, with exceptions and detailed rules to be set out in regulations.

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What are Equality Action Plans and which employers will have to produce them?

The Act introduces Equality Action Plans as a new way for larger employers to demonstrate how they will improve workplace gender equality. Since April 2026, employers with 250 or more employees have been able to publish a voluntary action plan alongside their annual gender pay gap report. Subject to secondary legislation, action plans are expected to become mandatory from spring 2027.

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Will the Act address gender, ethnicity, or disability pay gaps?

Yes. The Act strengthens measures to improve pay transparency and help employers take action to reduce workplace inequalities.

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