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    Key dates for Employment law

2024

October

  1. information-icon

    Employment Rights Bill published

    The Labour Government has published its draft Employment Rights Bill. The Government began consulting on these reforms in 2024 and will continue to do so throughout 2025, seeking significant input from all stakeholders, and anticipates that the majority of reforms will take effect no earlier than 2026. Reforms of unfair dismissal will take effect no sooner than Autumn 2026. 

    Read our briefing note in which we set out our initial thoughts on the changes the Bill seeks to introduce, together with the current position. We outline what the implications might be and what you can be doing now to prepare. We also set out the changes which the Government intends to deal with “in due course” to provide you with the full picture of the employment law landscape to come.

    Essential Reading: Our Insight
  2. handshake

    Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 comes into force.

    This introduces a new duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees and gives tribunals the power to uplift sexual harassment compensation by 25% where the employer is found to have breached the new duty. See our article here.

2025

April

  1. money-icon

    Increase to National Minimum Wage

    The Government has announced National Minimum Wage rates for 2025, including the National Living Wage. The new rates which will come into force from 1 April 2025 are as follows:

      NMW Rate Increase (£) Increase (%)
    National Living Wage (21 and over) £12.21 £0.77 6.7
    18-20 Year Old Rate £10.00 £1.40 16.3
      16-17 Year Old Rate £7.55 £1.15 18.0
    Apprentice Rate £7.55 £1.15 18.0
    Accommodation Offset £10.66 £0.67 6.7
  2. neonatal

    Statutory neonatal care leave and pay comes into force.

    On 20 January 2025, regulations were laid before parliament bringing into force, with effect from 6 April 2025, the right to statutory neonatal care leave and pay.

  3. court-icon

    Increase to limits on tribunal awards

    • The limit on a week's pay increased from £700 to £719.
    • The maximum compensatory award for unfair dismissal increased from £115,115 to £118,223.
    • The minimum basic award for certain unfair dismissals (including health and safety dismissals) increased from £8,533 to £8,763.
    • The limit on the compensatory award for failure to have a written tips policy, or for failure to allocate and pay tips fairly, increased from £5,000 to £5,135.

    In cases involving unfair dismissal, the new figures apply where the effective date of termination fell on or after 6 April 2025.

  4. columns-teaser

    Vento bands for injury to feelings awards in employment tribunal claims presented on or after 6 April 2025

    The new Vento bands are as follows:

    • A lower band of £1,200 to £12,100 (increasing from £1,200 to £11,700) for less serious cases.
    • A middle band of £12,100 to £36,400 (increasing from £11,700 to £35,200) for cases which do not merit an award in the upper band.
    • An upper band of £36,400 to £60,700 (increasing from £35,200 to £58,700) for the most serious cases.
    • Amounts in excess of £60,700 can be awarded in the most exceptional cases.
  5. information-icon

    Guidance on changes to NDAs made by VPA 2024 and Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 (Permitted Disclosures) Regulations 2025 comes into force

    The Ministry of Justice has published guidance on changes to non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that will be made by Section 17 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 (VPA 2024), which comes into force on 1 October 2025.

    The Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 (Permitted Disclosures) Regulations 2025, have been laid before Parliament in exercise of the power conferred in section 17(4)(a) of the VPA 2024, which allows the Secretary of State to add to the list of permitted disclosures in section 17 outlined in the Ministry of Justice’s guidance and it will also come into force on 1 October 2025.

    See our article here.

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