THE Government is set to introduce a raft of measures that will help workers and give them more rights in April.
Changes to maternity leave, unfair dismissal and sick pay have been confirmed in the past week and could have a huge impact on your job.
The measures are part of the Employment Rights Bill, which will amend the law to give workers greater protections.
The bill has already passed through the House of Commons and the House of Lords and is awaiting final amendments before it is given royal assent.
It is expected that the bill will be brought into law by April 2026, if the planned timeline is met.
Meanwhile, in the Budget the Government confirmed the National Living Wage will rise in April in a move that will boost the pay packets of millions of workers.
Younger workers will also see their take home pay increase as the Government attempts to introduce a single minimum wage rate for all.
Here we explain all the measures that are set to be introduced and what they mean for you.
Unfair dismissal
Yesterday the Government announced that it is abandoning plans to allow employees to sue their employer for unfair dismissal from the day they start a job.
Currently, once you have completed two continuous years in a job you get extra legal protections against being sacked.
Your employer must identify a fair reason why you have been dismissed, for example because of conduct or capability.
They also need to show that they acted responsibly and followed a fair process.
The Government now plans to reduce the qualifying period to claim unfair dismissal from the current two years to six months.
As the measures forms part of the Employment Rights Bill they are not yet set in stone as the bill still needs to receive Royal Assent before it can be passed into law.
But if Royal Assent is granted then the measures will be introduced in April 2026.
Sick pay
From next April sick pay will be paid from the first day you are absent, rather than the current three-day waiting period, as part of the Employment Rights Bill.
The change will remove the current rules which say that an employee must be sick for more than three days in a row to get statutory sick pay.
Meanwhile, around 1.3 million people on low wages will be able to get guaranteed sick pay for the first time from April.
Workers earning less than £123 a week on average will be entitled to sick pay at the equivalent of 80% of their weekly salary or the new rate of statutory sick pay (SSP), which will be £118.75 a week from April.
Employers will pay you whatever the lower sum is.
Previously only those who earned an average of more than £123 a week were eligible for SSP and they were given £116.75 a week.
Maternity leave
From April 2026 the Employment Rights Bill will make paternity leave and unpaid parental leave a “day one” right.
Currently, to get statutory paternity leave you need 26 weeks’ service.
Meanwhile, to get unpaid parental leave you need to have worked at your job for at least 12 months.
But the Employment Rights Bill will get rid of both qualifying periods, which means you can get both types of leave from the first day you start work.
The changes are pencilled in for April 2026, subject to when the bill becomes law.
National Living Wage
In the Budget Rachel Reeves confirmed that the National Living Wage will rise by 4.1% to £12.71 an hour for eligible workers aged 21 and over from April 1, 2026.
For a full-time worker on the National Living Wage, the increase would add £900 to their yearly pay packets.
The Government estimates that around 2.4million low-paid workers will benefit from the increase.
Meanwhile, workers aged 18 to 20 will see their pay increase by 8.5% to £10.85 an hour.
As a result, a full-time worker will see their annual earnings increase by £1,500.
Meanwhile, the National Minimum Wage for 16 to 17-year-olds and apprenticeships will rise by 6% to £8 an hour.
What is the difference between the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage?
The National Minimum Wage is the minimum pay per hour most workers are legally entitled to by law.
The rate varies depending on your age and whether you’re an apprentice.
However, the National Living Wage is the minimum amount that workers who are 21 or older must be paid.
The National Living Wage is the highest rate of the National Minimum Wage.
If you’re being paid less than these thresholds, talk to your employer.
You can ring these helplines for advice if you’re worried about being underpaid:
You can also complain to HMRC about your employer.
