Collective employee relations

New and updated

• Date:

  18 February 2026

  Type:

  News

  Trade union reforms come into force today

  A number of changes to trade union regulations come into force today (18 February) as part of the Employment Rights Act 2025.

• Type:

  Contract clauses

  Facilities and time off for trade union duties and activities agreement

  Updated to reflect that public-sector employers no longer have to publish facility time under changes brought in by the Employment Rights Act 2025, effective from 18 February 2026. 

• Type:

  FAQs

  Can an employee be dismissed for taking lawful industrial action?

  Updated to reflect that the Employment Rights Act 2025 removes the 12-week limit, so dismissal for taking part in lawful industrial action is automatically unfair no matter how long the strike lasts.

• Type:

  How to

  How to avoid a dispute escalating into industrial action

  Updated to reflect the removal of the 12-week period for automatic protection from unfair dismissal for taking part in industrial action. Under Employment Rights Act 2025 provisions in force from 18 February 2026, relevant dismissals will be automatically unfair no matter how long a strike lasts. 

• Type:

  How to

  How to deal with time off for trade union representatives

  Updated to reflect that public-sector employers no longer have to publish facility time, under changes brought in by the Employment Rights Act 2025 from 18 February 2026; and that employers will have a duty to provide facilities to union representatives and time off for union equality representatives in measures expected to come into force in October 2026. 

• Type:

  How to

  How to lead HR planning for the Employment Rights Act 2025

  Updated throughout to reflect the Government's updated timeline on the introduction of the different reforms under the Employment Rights Act 2025.

• Type:

  Legal timetable

  Strengthening of blacklisting protections

  The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces measures to extend and strengthen blacklisting protections.

• Type:

  Employment law guide

  Trade union recognition: derecognition process

  Updated to reflect the Government's revised Employment Rights Act 2025 timeline for the introduction of strengthened controls on unfair practices in the trade union recognition process (expected in October 2026) and electronic balloting for union recognition (expected in 2027).

• Type:

  Employment law guide

  Trade union recognition: recognition process

  Updated to reflect the Government's revised Employment Rights Act 2025 timeline for the introduction of strengthened controls on unfair practices in the trade union recognition process (expected in October 2026) and electronic balloting for union recognition (expected in 2027).

• Type:

  Employment law guide

  Time off work

  Updated with reference to Acas’s code of practice consultation on time off for trade union duties and activities.