Employment Rights Bill: Lords maintain stance on unfair dismissal rights

The 28^th of October (2025) saw the debate regarding the Employment Rights Bill resume in the House of Lords, following the House of Commons rejection of the key amendments, particularly those amendments regarding the qualifying period to unfair dismissal.

The Lords have maintained that there should be a six-month qualifying period requirement before employees are eligible to claim unfair dismissal.

As it stands, the Government’s proposed day-one right to claim unfair dismissal would see an additional 9 million employees protected under the proposed legislation. Whereas, if a six-month qualifier is put in place, this number would decrease to 6 million.

Zero-hour contracts and Trade Union political funds

Zero-hour contracts were also the cause of more scrutiny, as the Lords voted to have further amendments made to reforms surrounding these contracts, suggesting a right to “opt out” of guaranteed hours contract offers and defining seasonal workers.

The Lords have also committed to the rejected amendments regarding Trade Union political funds and the 50% ballot turnout on industrial action ballots.

What happens next to The Employment Rights Bill?

The Employment Rights Bill will now be debated in the House of Commons further, however, the Government’s manifesto pledge regarding unfair dismissal rights; means it’s possible that the Bill will ‘ping pong’ between the two houses for some time, further adding uncertainty to businesses as they’re preparing for a Bill that will require 173 individual pieces of legislation to bring into full effect.

These delays also add to the uncertainty regarding the implementation dates of the Roadmap for Delivering Change released by the Government in July 2025.

Need support with the Employment Rights Bill?

Contact Croner today to speak to a member of our Employment Law advisory team and ensure that your contracts and documentation are compliant, in preparation for the new legislation.

Call Croner today on 01455 858 132.