Trade union rights and recognition

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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 introduces significant changes to trade union rights and recognition, making it easier for unions to organise, gain recognition and engage with workers.

The reforms simplify the statutory recognition process, strengthen protections during recognition and derecognition campaigns, and introduce new rights for unions to access workplaces and communicate with workers, including digitally.

The Act also introduces new opportunities for sectoral collective bargaining, starting with adult social care in England.

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 changes does the Act make to trade union recognition rules?

By simplifying the statutory recognition process, it's easier for unions to gain recognition through the CAC by lowering the threshold for applications, removing the 40% voting requirement and using a simple majority in ballots.

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What changes are being made to unions’ rights to access workplaces and communicate with workers, including digitally?

The Act creates new physical and digital access rights for trade unions to recruit, organise, support and represent workers, including in non-union workplaces, with a new CAC process where access cannot be agreed with employers.

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Are there changes to the process for employers to derecognise a union?

The Act strengthens protections against unfair practices during recognition and derecognition campaigns, with greater CAC oversight of employer conduct.

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Will the new rules make it easier for unions to organise workers and win recognition?

The reforms are designed to make organising and recognition easier for unions through simpler recognition procedures, new workplace and digital access rights, and a requirement for employers to inform workers of their right to join a union.

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Are there plans to introduce or expand sectoral collective bargaining?

The Act enables sector-level negotiating bodies, starting with adult social care in England, bringing together employers, unions and government to negotiate minimum pay and terms, with potential for the model to expand to other sectors.

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