BRC responds to Employment Rights Bill roadmap

The British Retail Consortium has welcomed the publication of the Employment Rights Bill Roadmap by the government on July 1, which sets out the timelines for measures in the Bill aimed at boosting rights for half of all UK workers and providing certainty to employers.

The government states the Bill will raise living standards across the country and the roadmap will give employers and workers the time to adapt. It hopes to deliver its new package of workers’ rights through the ‘Make Work Pay' plan.

Landmark changes in the Employment Rights Bill include sick pay for up to 1.3 million of the lowest earners and day one rights to parental and paternity leave will be introduced for the first time from early next year.

Other key points include the establishment of a Fair Work Agency in April 2026 to enforce labour rights and promote fairness in the workplace, alongside whistleblowing protections to encourage reporting of wrongdoing without fear of retaliation.

From 2027, the Bill will introduce a gender pay gap and menopause action plans to promote gender equality and support women’s health in the workplace, alongside enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers to safeguard job security, as well as ending the "exploitative use of zero hours contracts to provide workers with stable hours and predictable income".

Commenting on the roadmap, Helen Dickinson, chief executive at the British Retail Consortium, said in a statement: “We welcome the publication of the roadmap, particularly the clarity it provides around timescales for consulting on and implementing various policies within the Employment Rights Bill. It is critical this includes quality engagement with the large employing sectors where implementation will have significant consequences.”

“Retailers remain concerned about some of the proposals. The industry has lost 350,000 jobs since 2015. Currently, provisions around Guaranteed Hours, in particular, could threaten the availability of local flexible part-time jobs. 1.5 million of the 3 million people in retail currently work part-time, which allows them to work as much or as little as they need and to balance work with their other life commitments.

“We look forward to engaging with Government and other stakeholders to ensure effective solutions are designed to address these concerns so the Bill tackles the unscrupulous employers, without penalising responsible ones and actually delivers benefits for retail employees.”