Employment Rights Bill timeline: Key dates veterinary businesses need to know

The government has now published its timeline and roadmap for rolling out the Employment Rights Bill. With confirmed start dates for reforms and consultations still ongoing for others, we’ve now got a clearer picture of what’s coming and when.

As veterinary businesses, it really does matter. Practices are already facing staff shortages, rising demand, and growing wellbeing concerns. The Employment Rights Bill, dubbed the biggest overhaul of workplace law in a generation, adds another layer of complexity. Not to mention the CMA market investigation in the pipeline, there has arguably never been more scrutiny on how practice owners manage their teams.

To help you prepare, our partners at Citation have pulled together the following information which provides key milestones and reforms you should be watching closely. 

Consultation roadmap and timeline

Before the changes take effect, the government will consult with businesses, employees, unions and stakeholders to shape how the changes will work in practice. Some of the key dates you need to know and prepare for are:

From summer 2025, consultations began on:

• Day-one unfair dismissal rights – how protection from unfair dismissal from the first day of employment should work in practice.

In autumn 2025, consultations happen on:

• Zero hours contracts – this could directly impact how you schedule mobile cleaners or part-time staff.
• Fire and rehire practices – restricting the ability to force contract changes by dismissal and re-engagement.
• Umbrella companies – bringing their operation and regulation in
  line with employment agencies.
• Trade union rules – from electronic balloting and notifying workers
  of their right to join, to clearer recognition processes and stronger
  reps’ protections.
• Bereavement leave – defining rights to leave following a
• Pregnant workers and new mothers – clarifying and extending

In winter 2025/early 2026, further consultations:

• Flexible working – introducing a ‘reasonableness’ test for
  employer decisions.
• Trade union measures – protections from detriment for taking
  industrial action and banning blacklisting.
• Collective redundancy rules – revising how employers must
  consult during large-scale job cuts.

But what’s actually changing and when?

When the Bill becomes law (expected autumn 2025):

• Repeal of Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 – rolling back restrictions on minimum service requirements during strikes.
• Repeal of most of the Trade Union Act 2016 – removing hurdles introduced over the last decade, making it easier for unions to organise.
• Getting rid of the 10-year ballot renewal for union political funds – ending the need for unions to run costly ballots every decade to keep political funds active.
• Simplified industrial action notices – reducing red tape for unions when planning industrial action.
• Protections against dismissal for industrial action – stronger safeguards for workers who strike.

From April 2026, key changes come into force:

• Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) reform – removing unpaid waiting days and the minimum earnings threshold.
• Fair Work Agency launch – a new enforcement body with powers to inspect workplaces and support employees.
• Collective redundancy protective award increased – doubling the maximum protective award period for breaches of collective consultation rules.
• New parental rights – including day-one paternity leave.
• Whistleblowing protections – expanding the categories classed as protected.
• Simplified trade union recognition process – making it easier for unions to be recognised by employers.
• Electronic and workplace balloting – modernising how union votes are carried out.
• Voluntary menopause and gender pay action plans introduced.

From October 2026:

• Legal duty to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent workplace sexual harassment.
• New obligations to prevent harassment by clients or other third parties.
• Major changes to how fire and rehire is regulated including restrictions and penalties.
• Tribunal time limits extended to six months so workers have more time to make a claim.

By 2027:

• Day-one unfair dismissal rights to become law – along with a new statutory probationary period.
• Zero hours contract reform – including rights to guaranteed hours, reasonable notice of shifts, and compensation for shift changes.
• Mandatory menopause and gender pay plans for larger employers.
• Clarified rules on what counts as ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent harassment.
• A full industrial relations overhaul – modernising how collective bargaining and strikes are handled.
• Enhanced protections for pregnant workers.
• Reasonableness test when considering flexible working
• New bereavement leave
• Changes to the threshold to trigger collective consultation requirements in redundancy processes.

What veterinary businesses can do now

You don’t need to completely change your policies just yet, but this is the right time to start reviewing your foundations. We recommend:

• Audit your contracts – particularly zero-hours, mobile, and agency staff arrangements
• Update or prepare policies – for sick pay, parental leave, harassment prevention, and whistleblowing
• Stay alert to consultation updates
• Train managers early – on how new day-one rights and notice periods might work in practice
• Keep harassment and grievance procedures watertight – as legal duties are set to increase