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Industrial relations reforms are going to radically reshape the framework for collective and trade union rights in the UK. Our new resource hub brings together practical guidance, insights and tools to help employers prepare.
While the spotlight on the Employment Rights Act 2025 has largely been on unfair dismissal, the reforms to collective and trade union rights have received far less attention—despite being just as significant. They will affect all major restructuring and change programmes and may lead to new recognition requests, wider workplace access and increased collective activity, fundamentally reshaping how employers engage with their workforce.
A busy period of change
The first wave of changes relaxing the conditions for industrial action is already in force. Simplified union recognition rules will follow on 6 April, with new rights of union access and statements of union rights coming into effect from October 2026.
Although further detail is still awaited in a number of areas, the overall direction of travel is clear. Employers will need to plan ahead, review existing processes and stay alert as the new framework develops.
What’s in the hub
To help you navigate what’s changing and how to prepare, we’ve created a new dedicated resource hub bringing together key insights, practical guidance and updates in one place.
The hub includes:
- an interactive timeline setting out the main reforms and expected milestones;
- practical checklists to help employers prepare for trade union recognition requests, workplace access requests and collective redundancy exercises;
- a growing library of blogs exploring specific aspects of the reforms, including comparative insights from jurisdictions where similar regimes already operate; and
- a list of commonly used industrial relations and trade union terms, together with links to relevant legislation and guidance.
We’ll continue to update and add content as the reforms evolve.
You can explore the hub here: UK industrial relations reforms: what employers need to know
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
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