Parliament’s summer recess has now come to an end and the Employment Rights Bill is now returns to the House of Commons following the House of Lords passing its third reading.
This is one of the final stages of the parliamentary process before the Bill becomes law but there is still opportunity for the Bill to be changed.
One of the tasks faced by Parliament now is to review various non-government amendments made to the Bill in the report stage in the House of Lords in July 2025. These changes included:
- retaining a six-month qualifying period for unfair dismissal, rather than removing it completely. This was introduced following concerns from various parties of the impact the removal of qualifying service for unfair dismissal would have on small businesses that lack a HR function
- amending the proposed duty for employers to offer a guaranteed hours contract to zero, low hours and agency workers and instead make it a right for workers to request a guaranteed hours contract.
As these changes would effectively block key commitments made by the Government in its 2024 manifesto, it is unlikely that they will be accepted. This could lead to the Bill passing back and forth between the Commons and the Lords as the final details are debated.
Which are the first laws to change when the Employment Rights Bill is introduced?
