Following the summer recess, the Bill returned to the House of Commons on 15 September 2025 for consideration of the Lords’ amendments.
Unsurprisingly, the House of Commons rejected the non-government amendments resulting in the following:
- Guaranteed hours contract offers restored: The employer’s duty under the Bill to proactively offer a guaranteed hours contract has been restored by the House of Commons. The Lords had voted for a “right to request” a guaranteed hours contact rather than an obligation on the employer to offer one.
- Day-one unfair dismissal right restored: As originally intended, employees will have the right not to be unfairly dismissed from the very start of their employment – a ‘day-one’ right. The Lords had proposed a six-month qualifying period.
- Enhanced whistleblowing protections not progressing: Provisions requiring the Government to create regulations extending unfair dismissal protection for whistleblowers and impose a new duty on employers to investigate protected disclosures will not be taken forwards as the Bill continues its journey to be become law.
- Right to be accompanied remains limited: The current right to be accompanied to meetings will continue to be limited to a trade union representative or a work colleague and will not be extended to include a “certified professional companion”.
- Trade union ballot thresholds abolished: The 50% turnout requirement for industrial action ballots will be abolished. The Lords had voted to retain the 50% threshold.