Three new HR laws that could be on the future agenda
Three new HR laws that could be on the future agenda
Employment Law
Peninsula Team, Peninsula Team
(Last updated )
Peninsula Team, Peninsula Team
(Last updated )
You tackle one major employment law update and another appears… While these recent legal proposals may not be on the immediate horizon for your business, it’s good to be aware of what could be on the future HR agenda.
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Three new HR laws that could be on the future agenda
Among the important changes, dismissal for taking part in protected industrial action is now “automatically unfair”, removing the previous 12-week limit for claiming unfair dismissal and extending it through the whole period of industrial action.
In its election manifesto, Labour promised that it would remove the age bands on the minimum wage rates which currently see a worker aged 21 and over earning £12.21 per hour while an 18-year-old colleague is paid £10 per hour.
The January 2026 labour market statistics, released by the Office for National Statistics, show that one in three unemployed adults aged between 16–64 want to work (35.7%).
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So to keep you in the know with the latest announcements, here are three potential new HR laws we could expect to land…
A new law that gives domestic abuse victims the right to paid leave
Under a new proposed Bill, the government could grant victims of domestic abuse the right to take two weeks of paid leave.
While some employers may already have a form of leave like this in place, there are no laws on this currently.
A new law on statutory safe leave passed in Northern Ireland in 2022 but hasn’t yet come into effect.
This idea behind the Domestic Abuse (Save Leave) Bill is give those who have experienced domestic abuse the opportunity to make arrangements in relation to a domestic abuse situation.
While this is not a prescriptive list, someone may use this time to find alternative living arrangements, attend counselling, manage childcare, meet with police and so on.
Currently, the initial proposal says there will be a consultation with businesses to understand how this type of leave could work in practice should it come into force.
What can I do to support domestic abuse victims in the workplace?
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Introducing a Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
The government is proposing to change the regulations around employing children who are under the compulsory school leaving age.
(The minimum school leaving age is 16 years of age but also applies to 15 year olds who will turn 16 by the end of that summer holiday).
Note: this will apply to England only.
Under these plans, there will be new rules to follow if you do employ anyone under the school leaving age. This includes the following:
The employee who is under the school leaving age will need to have a permit provided by their local authority. (While some authorities have this in place already, not all do).
Employment restrictions on a Sunday will be lifted so children can work more than two hours (they’ll be able to work five hours if aged 14 or eight hours if aged 15-16, the same as they can for a Saturday).
Children will be able to work until 8pm, instead of 7pm.
What restrictions are there when hiring someone aged under 16 years old?
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Proposals for greater protection of whistleblowers
A whistleblower is someone who raises a concern about some kind of wrongdoing in their place of work.
The wrongdoing itself has to be in the public interest (i.e. a wrongdoing that affects others) and can be any of the following:
A criminal offence
A failure to follow legal obligations
A miscarriage of justice
A health & safety danger
Damaging to the environment
An action that conceals any of the above
The existing law currently focuses more on the job and work-related loss the individual has experienced as a result of whistleblowing, rather than addressing the wider impact of the issue or any steps to prevent it from happening again.
But under a new Bill, there are calls for an independent Office of the Whistleblower, designed to protect whistleblowers. This is to set, monitor and enforce standards when it comes to managing whistleblowing cases, investigations, advice and any losses of the whistleblower.
So anyone who does need to report a wrongdoing has an official body they can go through.
What does the Office of the Whistleblower mean for me?
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