Trade union reform is another big part of the coming employment law changes.
Employers will need to get to grips with a number of changes affecting trade unions and the relationship between employers, employees and union representatives.
Here are the most important ones:
The right to join a trade union – employers will have a new duty to provide workers with information about their right to join a trade union.
Access to workplaces – trade unions will have a new statutory framework for requesting access to workplaces and communicating with workers – and access could be in person, digitally, or both.
Trade union representatives – there will be increased rights regarding reasonable paid time off and access to facilities for trade union representatives carrying out certain duties.
Industrial action – workers taking protected industrial action will have greater protection against being subjected to a detriment where the purpose is to penalise, prevent or deter them from taking industrial action.
There are also changes coming to the trade union recognition process and the rules around access and unfair practices during recognition campaigns.
These changes will affect how you communicate with your workforce, how you deal with trade unions and how managers respond when union-related issues arise.
If you work in a sector where trade unions already play a significant role, understanding the changes before they come into force will be crucial.