A BAN on exploitative zero-hours contracts and “day-one” protections against unfair dismissal will not come into force until 2027, as the government introduces its workers’ rights reforms in phases.
Ministers say the delayed rollout will balance protections for workers with the “practical realities” of running a business. The changes were a key Labour manifesto pledge.
The Employment Rights Bill, currently progressing through Parliament, includes new rights to parental leave, stronger protections for whistleblowers, and reforms to statutory sick pay and redundancies.
Employers will be required to offer contracts that reflect actual hours worked and give reasonable notice of shifts.
Some measures — such as those protecting workers taking industrial action — will come into effect immediately after royal assent.
Other reforms, including sick pay and parental leave changes, are due in April 2026, with fire-and-rehire bans and union access protections set for October 2026.
The zero-hours contract ban will follow in 2027.
Unions welcomed the reforms but urged employers to implement them sooner.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “Decent employers don’t need to wait for the law to change.
“They should be working with staff and unions right now to introduce these changes as quickly as possible.”
The Bill addresses some exploitation but leaves trade unions heavily regulated, most workers without collective bargaining coverage, and fails to tackle the balance of power that enables constant mutation of bad practice, write KEITH EWING and LORD JOHN HENDY KC
