The Government has announced that the duty to inform workers of their right to join a union has been pushed back to January 2027. It was originally due to come into effect on 30 October 2026.
The Government has also published its response to the public consultation on this. You can read the full response here.
Main points to note from the response are:
- The Regulations will set out a standard statement for employers to use. No amendments will be permitted other than adding information that is specific to that workplace.
- The statement will include a brief outline of union functions, a list of recognised unions and information about them, together with a summary of the worker’s statutory rights.
- Within the statement there must be a link to the Certification Officer’s list of unions or a list must be provided along with the statement.
- New workers must be given their union right statement when they are given their written statement of particulars (usually in the form of a contract of employment).
- Existing workers need only be able to reasonably access the statement. It can be given to them personally or they can be signposted to it. If existing workers are informed directly this must be repeatedly on an annual basis NLT 5 April each year.
- If there is a change in identity of a recognised union the statement will have to be reissued within one month of the change.
It’s hardly surprising that the Labour Government wishes to put unions back at the centre of British businesses. Unfortunately for employers this is just another obligation in a long list of longstanding obligations with many more on the horizon yet to come.
