Free work-rights updates: law change alerts

Free work-rights updates. What changed, when it starts, what you can do.

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Every alert follows the same five parts, so you can read it in a minute. This sample is built from a real change we have confirmed.

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Archive: verified developments since 1 October 2026

Newest first. The date on each entry is the day we verified it, not the day the government published it.

1. 21 Oct 2026Union-rights statements: HMRC confirms 1 January 2027 and a 5 April 2027 deadline

   HMRC’s October 2026 Employer Bulletin, published 21 October 2026, confirms that the duty to tell workers about their right to join a trade union starts on 1 January 2027, later than the October 2026 start first planned. From that date employers must give new workers the government statement at the start of employment, at the same time as their written statement of particulars. Workers already employed when the duty starts, and still employed on 5 April 2027, must have it by that date, given to them directly or kept reasonably accessible with a reminder. The duty then repeats each 5 April. Detailed guidance is expected in November 2026. The 5 April 2027 deadline is not new: government employer guidance on business.gov.uk has carried it since 25 September 2026.
   Status: scheduled. Starts 1 January 2027. Not in force.
   Affects: all workers who are given a written statement of terms, and their employers.
   Source: HMRC Employer Bulletin, October 2026 and business.gov.uk trade union reform guidance. Our guide: union access rights.

2. 17 Oct 2026Real Living Wage rises to £14.10, or £15.45 in London

   On 15 October 2026 the Living Wage Foundation announced new rates: £14.10 an hour across the UK and £15.45 in London, each 65p up on £13.45 and £14.80. Accredited employers, nearly 17,000 of them, should apply the new rate as soon as possible and by 1 May 2027, and must tell staff within one month. The legal National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over stays at £12.71 until April 2027.
   Status: voluntary benchmark, announced 15 October 2026. Not the legal minimum.
   Affects: workers at accredited employers, and anyone comparing their pay with the benchmark.
   Source: Living Wage Foundation announcement. Our guide: minimum wage rates.

3. 15 Oct 2026New right-to-work discrimination Code and rewritten digital checks

   A revised statutory Code of Practice on avoiding unlawful discrimination in right-to-work checks took effect on 1 October 2026. It replaces the version effective from 6 April 2022. SI 2026/700 replaces the old digital identity check framework with registered right-to-work digital verification providers, and adds rules for work that is subcontracted or arranged through an online matching service. Where a provider carries out facial recognition, employers must keep the facial images and the provider’s confirmation for at least two years after employment ends.
   Status: in force since 1 October 2026.
   Affects: employers and agencies that carry out right-to-work checks, and the workers they check.
   Source: SI 2026/700 and the Code on GOV.UK. Our guide: right-to-work checks.

4. 15 Oct 2026Fair Work Agency lists new guidance on spotting labour exploitation

   The Fair Work Agency lists “Spot the signs of labour exploitation” as guidance dated 15 October 2026. The ways to report suspected exploitation already existed: an online form, a free call to 0800 432 0804 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, except public holidays), or email to [email protected]. Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger.
   Status: published guidance, not a change in the law.
   Affects: anyone who suffers or sees exploitation at work.
   Source: GOV.UK reporting guidance. Our guide: reporting an employer to the Fair Work Agency.

5. 14 Oct 2026Government opens its employment status consultation

   On 14 October 2026 the government opened a consultation on employment status reform and protections for the self-employed. It proposes giving control more weight in the status test, and personal service and substitution less. It also proposes a presumption of worker status, which would put the burden on the engager to prove that someone is genuinely self-employed. The presumption would not cover employee status. For the genuinely self-employed it floats a right to a written statement and extended blacklisting and health and safety protections. The government cites external research that up to 900,000 people may be wrongly treated as self-employed. The proposals concern employment rights, not tax status.
   Status: consultation, open until 11:55pm on 8 January 2027. Nothing changes yet.
   Affects: people paid as self-employed, including gig and contract workers, and the businesses that engage them.
   Source: GOV.UK consultation. Our guide: false self-employment.

6. 14 Oct 2026Commons approves the union access regulations and two Codes

   On 14 October 2026 the Commons approved the draft Trade Unions (Right to Access Workplaces) Regulations 2026 and the access Code of Practice (both 326 votes to 115), and the revised Acas Code on time off for trade union duties and activities (328 to 114). The Commons had already approved the Protection Against Detriment (Industrial Action) Regulations on 7 September. Both draft sets of regulations name 30 October 2026 as the start date and need approval by both Houses before they are made.
   Status: scheduled for 30 October 2026. Not in force. These votes alone do not show that every stage is complete or that the instruments have been made.
   Affects: union members and representatives, and employers with a union at work.
   Source: Commons Votes and Proceedings and the Commons voting record. Our guide: union access rights.

7. 12 Oct 2026New tribunal forms in use, and HMRC still answers minimum wage appeals until April 2027

   From 1 October 2026 the Employment Tribunals use revised ET1 and ET3 forms. ET1 question 1.12 and ET3 question 2.14 let parties state a preference on tribunal panel composition. ET1 question 8.3 asks for the date of the most recent event complained of, to help assess the move from three to six month time limits. The tribunal presidents also issued new statutory-appeals guidance: an appeal against a minimum wage underpayment notice now runs under section 103 of the Employment Rights Act 2025, not section 19 of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998. The Fair Work Agency was set up on 7 April 2026, but HMRC officers still carry out minimum wage enforcement for it, and HMRC stays the respondent to those appeals until the functions transfer in April 2027.
   Status: in force since 1 October 2026, announced on 30 September.
   Affects: anyone making or answering a tribunal claim, and employers appealing an underpayment notice.
   Source: joint letter of the Employment Tribunal Presidents. Our guide: tribunal procedures.

8. 9 Oct 2026Fair Work Agency holds its first Fair Work Assembly

   On 9 October 2026 the Agency announced that its first Fair Work Assembly met in Birmingham earlier that week. More than 100 delegates from unions, employers, civil society and academia discussed enforcement, emerging risks in the labour market and the Agency’s future priorities. The announcement names Lisa Pinney OBE as chief executive and Matthew Taylor CBE as chair of the Advisory Board.
   Status: institutional milestone, announced 9 October 2026. It introduces no change to law, rates, powers or duties.
   Affects: workers and employers who deal with the Agency. Nothing changes for a worker today.
   Source: GOV.UK announcement. Our guide: reporting an employer to the Fair Work Agency.

9. 6 Oct 2026Commencement No. 6 fixes 30 October for harassment, union rights and the seafarer framework

   SI 2026/1065, the Employment Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 6 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2026, was made on 1 October 2026. It fixes 30 October 2026 for sections 20 to 22 (the stronger duty to prevent sexual harassment, third-party harassment, and a power to specify steps), section 56 and Schedule 5 (the seafarers’ framework), section 59 (union access), section 60 and Schedule 6 (recognition and derecognition), and sections 64 and 65 (time off for union officials and learning representatives, and paid time off for union equality representatives). Schedule 5 sets up declaration machinery, but the seafarer protections themselves need further regulations, which the government timetable gives as December 2026. An employee who, immediately before 30 October, had continuously performed equality-representative functions for six months or more, having been appointed or elected under union rules, is treated as meeting the notice and training conditions. They must still be an equality representative and a member of an independent union recognised by the employer, and the time off must be reasonable.
   Status: scheduled for 30 October 2026. The start date is legally fixed. The new duties do not apply before it.
   Affects: workers who face harassment at work, union members and representatives, and employers.
   Source: SI 2026/1065. Our guides: sexual harassment duties and trade union recognition.

10. 4 Oct 2026Tipping changes expected by the end of 2026

    Section 14 of the Employment Rights Act 2025 will require employers to consult before they write a tipping allocation policy and at every review. They must consult recognised union representatives or appointed or elected worker representatives, or the affected workers directly if there are none. Policies must be reviewed at intervals of no more than three years, and an anonymised summary of the views must be available to all the employer’s workers at that place of business. The consultation on the revised tipping Code closed on 29 September 2026 and no outcome is published yet.
    Status: scheduled, expected by the end of 2026. The government expects commencement in late 2026, subject to parliamentary approval of the revised Code. Exact arrangements are still to be confirmed. Not in force.
    Affects: workers who receive tips, in hospitality and elsewhere, and their employers.
    Source: Employment Rights Act 2025, section 14. Our guide: employer obligations.

11. 4 Oct 2026Employers must keep holiday records for six years

    Since 6 April 2026 employers in England, Wales and Scotland must keep records adequate to show that workers received their statutory annual leave, and keep them for six years from the date they are made. Section 35 of the Employment Rights Act 2025 added regulation 16B to the Working Time Regulations 1998, and SI 2026/323 brought it into force. Failing to keep the records is an offence, and the Secretary of State can prosecute in England and Wales.
    Status: in force since 6 April 2026. This is existing law that we had not yet covered, not a new start date.
    Affects: workers who want to check their holiday pay, and employers in Great Britain.
    Source: Employment Rights Act 2025, section 35 and Acas on keeping records. Our guide: holiday pay entitlements.

12. 2 Oct 2026New government whistleblowing guidance for workers

    On 1 October 2026 the government published “Whistleblowing guidance for workers”. It applies to England, Scotland and Wales. It lists sexual harassment as wrongdoing that can qualify as whistleblowing, and says a claim for detriment or unfair dismissal must be brought within six months.
    Status: published guidance. The changes it describes are in force: sexual harassment disclosures since 6 April 2026, and the six-month limit where the relevant date is on or after 1 October 2026.
    Affects: workers in England, Scotland and Wales who raise concerns about wrongdoing.
    Source: GOV.UK guidance. Our guide: whistleblower protections.

13. 2 Oct 2026Government says an employment status consultation is coming

    On 1 October 2026 the Department for Business and Trade added a line to its employment status guidance: the government “will shortly publish a consultation on targeted reforms to employment status and protections for the self-employed”. No consultation document or timetable was published at that point.
    Status: announced intention. Superseded by the consultation opened on 14 October, above.
    Affects: people paid as self-employed.
    Source: GOV.UK guidance and update history. Our guide: freelance workers’ rights.

14. 1 Oct 2026Bereavement leave design confirmed, targeted for April 2027

    The government’s response of 22 September 2026 sets out a day-one right for employees to take up to two weeks of unpaid leave, based on their average working pattern, within 56 weeks of the bereavement. It covers a spouse, civil partner or partner, a parent, an adult child and a sibling, including biological, adoptive, step and half relationships, and equivalent parental relationships for people raised in kinship or foster care, and pregnancy loss before 24 weeks. Single days are allowed, notice can be given on the day for leave in the first eight weeks and a week ahead after that, no evidence of the loss is required, and employees are protected from detriment or dismissal for taking it.
    Status: scheduled. April 2027 is the stated target, through secondary legislation. Not in force.
    Affects: employees in Great Britain.
    Source: government consultation response and announcement. Our guide: parental bereavement leave.

15. 1 Oct 2026Northern Ireland already has paid miscarriage leave

    The Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay (Miscarriage) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026, SR 2026/63, were made on 25 March and came into operation on 26 March 2026. They extend parental bereavement leave and pay to miscarriages experienced or detected on or after 6 April 2026. They cover spontaneous loss before 24 weeks and specified medically necessary interventions, and qualifying biological or intended parents and current partners. Statutory pay is still subject to the usual eligibility conditions. The planned Great Britain right is unpaid and targeted for April 2027.
    Status: in force for miscarriages on or after 6 April 2026.
    Affects: employees in Northern Ireland.
    Source: SR 2026/63. Our guide: Northern Ireland differences.

16. 1 Oct 2026Union-rights statements: government sets out the design, intended start 1 January 2027

    The government’s response of 25 September 2026 says the duty is intended to come into force on 1 January 2027. Employers would give new workers a standard statement with their written particulars. For existing workers, employers would either deliver it directly each year by 5 April, or keep it continuously and reasonably accessible and send an annual reminder. Employers could change only workplace-specific information. The statement would cover union functions, recognised unions or statutory access agreements, and statutory rights, and include a link to or copy of the Certification Officer’s union list. It would need reissuing within one month of a change to those unions.
    Status: scheduled. Intended start 1 January 2027, with regulations to come. Not in force.
    Affects: all workers who are given a written statement of terms, and their employers.
    Source: GOV.UK government response. Our guide: trade union membership.

17. 1 Oct 2026Flexible working: consultation before refusal intended for autumn 2027

    After consultation, the government says it intends the Employment Rights Act 2025 reasonableness test and new regulations to take effect in autumn 2027. Before refusing a statutory request, an employer would have to hold a meeting aimed at reaching agreement, with fair advance notice, discuss whether the request or an alternative could work, and give the outcome and final decision in writing. A fixed notice period was rejected. The current rules apply until then.
    Status: scheduled. Intended start autumn 2027, regulations still to be made. Not in force.
    Affects: employees who ask for flexible working.
    Source: GOV.UK government response. Our guide: right to request flexible working.

18. 1 Oct 2026Acas opens consultation on a draft flexible working Code

    Acas issued a draft update to its Code of Practice on flexible working requests on 1 October 2026. It covers evidence-based decisions, adapting requests where possible, finding solutions together, transparency and consistency, consulting before refusal and reasonable adjustments. The 2024 Code stays in force until the updated Code replaces it, which is expected alongside the legislation in autumn 2027.
    Status: consultation, open until 11:59pm on 17 December 2026.
    Affects: employees who ask for flexible working, and employers who decide those requests.
    Source: Acas consultation. Our guide: right to request flexible working.

19. 1 Oct 2026Acas consultation on the disciplinary and grievance Code has closed

    Acas issued the consultation on 30 July 2026 and it closed at 11:59pm on 23 September 2026. Acas is reviewing responses. The draft adds guidance on resolving concerns informally, reasonable adjustments and avoiding unlawful discrimination, mediation, suspension and grievance handling. Acas expects the updated Code to come into effect in 2027.
    Status: consultation closed. The draft is not the operative Code, so the existing Code still applies.
    Affects: workers facing a disciplinary or raising a grievance, and their employers.
    Source: Acas update and the consultation page. Our guides: fair disciplinary procedures and grievance handling.

20. 1 Oct 2026Fair Work Agency names around 660 employers for underpaying the minimum wage

    On 3 September 2026 the government announced that around 660 employers had been named for failing to pay the National Minimum Wage, with £4 million returned directly to workers and £7 million in penalties. It was the first naming round since the Fair Work Agency was set up in April. HMRC enforces the minimum wage on the Agency’s behalf.
    Status: enforcement news. It does not change the legal rates or create a new entitlement.
    Affects: workers paid below the minimum wage, and their employers.
    Source: GOV.UK announcement. Our guide: minimum wage rates.

21. 1 Oct 2026Northern Ireland’s 2026/27 compensation limits differ from Great Britain’s

    From 6 April 2026, Northern Ireland’s week’s pay cap for statutory redundancy and specified awards is £783, which makes the maximum statutory redundancy payment 30 x £783 = £23,490. The unfair dismissal compensatory award limit is £123,785. Statutory sick pay is £123.25 a week, and statutory maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental and parental bereavement pay is £194.32 a week, matching the Great Britain rates. Separate Northern Ireland orders set these figures.
    Status: in force since 6 April 2026.
    Affects: employees in Northern Ireland.
    Source: SR 2026/57 and SR 2026/59. Our guide: Northern Ireland differences.

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