The Employment Rights Act 2025 ("the Act") delivers the key legislative reforms set out in the Government’s Plan to Make Work Pay 1 . The Act updates and enhance existing employment rights and makes provision for new rights; makes provision regarding pay and conditions in particular sectors; and makes reforms in relation to trade union matters and industrial action. It further creates a new regime for the enforcement of employment law.
	The Act is in six parts and contains 12 schedules.
Part
Summary
Part 1: Employment Rights , including Schedules 1-3
This Part provides for the reform of employment rights in the following areas:
· Zero hours workers, etc
· Flexible working
· Statutory Sick Pay
· Tips and gratuities, etc
· Entitlements to leave
· Protection from harassment and discrimination
· Dismissal
Part 2: Other Matters Relating to Employment
This Part concerns for the delivery of wider employment law reform and makes provision in relation to:
· The procedure for handling redundancies
· Public sector outsourcing
· The duties of employers relating to equality
· Annual leave records
· Employment businesses
· Employment of children on heritage railways
Part 3: Pay and Conditions in Particular Sectors , including Schedules 4 and 5
This Part makes provision in relation to:
· Pay and conditions of school support staff in England
· The establishment of the Adult Social Care Negotiating Body in England and Social Care Negotiating Bodies in Scotland and Wales
· Seafarers
Part 4: Trade Unions and Industrial Action , including Schedule 6
This Part makes provision in relation to trade unions and industrial action, in particular:
· To provide a right to a statement of trade union rights
· To provide a right of trade unions to access workplaces
· To make amendments to the conditions for trade union recognition
· Trade union finances
· Facilities provided to trade union representatives and members
· Blacklists
· Industrial action, and ballots, the provision of information to employers, picketing and protection for taking industrial action
· The repeal of provision about strikes and minimum service levels
· The functions of the Certification officer
Part 5: Enforcement of Labour Market Legislation , including Schedules 7-11
This Part provides for the Secretary of State to have the function of enforcing labour market legislation, with enforcement officers to be appointed by him for this purpose. The provisions bring together existing state labour market enforcement functions as well as some new state enforcement functions. The functions include:
· National Minimum Wage enforcement
· Enforcement of regulations applying to employment businesses and agencies
· The unpaid employment tribunal penalty award scheme
· The licensing regime for gangmasters and certain modern slavery protections
· Holiday pay
· Statutory Sick Pay
Part 6: Miscellaneous and General , including Schedule 12
This part sets out provision to increase the time limits for making claims to Employment Tribunals as well as the following general provisions:
· Power to combine regulations
· Power to make consequential provision
· Power to make transitional or saving provision
· Regulations
· Financial provision
· Extent
· Commencement
· Short title.
Overview of the Act