Paternity leave extended to 52 weeks for bereaved parents
Following the Paternity Leave (Bereavement) Act 2024 coming into force in late December 2025, regulations have been laid before Parliament providing for 52 weeks paternity leave when a child's mother or adopter has died in childbirth or within a year of birth or adoption placement. The leave will be known as bereaved partner's paternity leave. The leave will apply to bereavements on or after 6 April 2026 assuming the regulations are approved by both Houses of Parliament. The regulations make no provision for statutory pay. They do though set out the practicalities of utilising the leave as well as rights such as the right to return, redundancy protection, KIT days and protection from detriment and dismissal.
Employment Rights Act 2025 factsheets updated
Several UK government factsheets on aspects of the Employment Rights Act 2025 have been updated. The updated factsheets cover preventing workplace sexual harassment, public sector outsourcing, unfair dismissal, trade unions and Social Care Negotiating Bodies and Fair Pay Agreements. For more information on the progression of measures to be introduced under the Employment Rights Act 2025, see here.
Acas Code of Practice on time off for trade union duties and activities
Acas has opened a consultation on an updated Code of Practice on time off for trade union duties and activities. The updated Code of Practice reflects changes to legislation that will be brought into effect by the Employment Rights Act 2025. The new rights in question relate to the provision of time off for union equality representatives and the provision for accommodation and other facilities to enable union reps, union learning reps and union equality reps to carry out their duties. The consultation is open for responses until Tuesday 17 March 2026.
Disability Confident scheme reformed
The UK government has announced reforms to the Disability Confident scheme. This voluntary scheme was introduced with the aim of supporting sick and disabled people into work. The reforms seek to boost workplace inclusion and include tailored support for SMEs. Employers will be connected to share good practice and benefit from peer-to-peer support while the views of disabled people will be reflected throughout the scheme.
