Employment law changes coming into force from October 2026

Employment law changes coming into force from October 2026

The Government has published an updated timetable for changes being introduced under the Plan to Make Work Pay and the Employment Rights Act 2025.

A number of employment law changes are due to come into force from October 2026. These will affect employers and workers across the UK, including charities, community organisations and other voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations.

The timetable sets out the latest expected dates, although the Government notes that future dates remain subject to parliamentary processes and may change.

Changes from 1 October 2026

More time to bring an Employment Tribunal claim

From 1 October 2026, the time limit for bringing a claim to an Employment Tribunal will increase from three months to six months.

This will give workers a longer period in which to bring relevant employment claims.

For breach of employment contract claims in Scotland, this particular change will take effect from 9 November 2026.

For VCSE organisations that employ staff, this change is relevant to employment policies, procedures and record keeping. Organisations may also wish to ensure that managers and trustees involved in employment matters are aware of the extended time limit.

Changes from 30 October 2026

A further set of changes is due to take effect on 30 October 2026. These cover trade union rights and protections, as well as sexual harassment in the workplace.

Trade union rights

From 30 October, a number of changes will strengthen trade union rights and protections.

These include:

• A new duty for employers to inform workers of their right to join a trade union
• Strengthening trade unions' right of access
• Reforms relating to access and unfair practices during the recognition and derecognition process
• Further trade union recognition measures, including freezing the bargaining unit when an application is received
• New rights and protections for trade union representatives
• Extending protections against detriment for taking industrial action

These measures will apply to employers and workers across sectors. For VCSE organisations with employees or recognised trade unions, it will be important to understand how the changes affect existing employment and workforce arrangements.

Further protection from sexual harassment

From 30 October, employers will be required to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees.

There will also be a new obligation on employers not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties.

The legislation will also give the relevant minister a power to introduce regulations at a later date setting out evidence-based steps that employers must take to prevent sexual harassment. The Government states that these regulations will complement, rather than replace, the wider requirement to take all reasonable steps.

For organisations across the VCSE sector, this means that policies and arrangements for preventing and responding to sexual harassment will need to reflect the new legal requirements.

This is particularly relevant where staff regularly work with members of the public, volunteers, service users, partner organisations or other third parties.

Other changes being introduced in October

The Government has also identified two other measures for introduction during October 2026.

Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care

Regulations will be brought forward to establish the Fair Pay Agreement Adult Social Care Negotiating Body in England.

The body will form part of the arrangements for developing Fair Pay Agreements in adult social care.

This will be particularly relevant to organisations providing adult social care services and those working alongside the social care sector.

Procurement and the two-tier code

The Government also plans to reinstate the two-tier code for procurement.

The code is intended to ensure that outsourced private sector employees are offered no less favourable terms and conditions than employees transferred from the public sector.

This may be relevant to VCSE organisations involved in delivering services under public sector contracts, particularly where services are outsourced or transferred.

Looking ahead

The October changes form part of a wider programme of employment law reform. Further measures are currently scheduled for December 2026 and 2027.

These include changes relating to unfair dismissal, fire and rehire, flexible working, bereavement leave, guaranteed hours and reasonable notice for workers, umbrella companies and collective redundancy consultation. The Government's timetable states that some of these measures are still subject to consultation and that timings may change.

For VCSE organisations that employ staff, it is therefore worth keeping up to date with the implementation timetable and reviewing employment policies and practices as further details are confirmed.

Further information

The Government's latest Plan to Make Work Pay and Employment Rights Act timeline update is available on GOV.UK.

The timetable is subject to change as legislation and regulations progress, so organisations should check the latest Government guidance when preparing for individual changes.