Well, yes and no.
It includes many of the big headline changes proposed, such as the removal of the qualifying period for claiming unfair dismissal, ending fire and rehire practices (except where this is required to prevent the collapse of a business), and ending ‘exploitative’ zero-hours contracts.
But, it didn’t include some aspects of Labour’s Plan to Make Pay Work, such as the ‘right to switch off’, and ‘the single status of worker’.
It also went further than I expected on changes to sexual harassment law. From 26th October a new legal duty is being placed upon employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of employees, including from third parties. The Employment Rights Bill looks to add the word ‘all’ so that it becomes a duty to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of employees, including from third parties. This change will require many businesses to further review their policies, risk assessments, training, reporting mechanisms, etc for sexual harassment.
When will these changes take effect? Well, many of the changes are subject to a consultation process and the media today seem to be widely reporting that most changes will not take effect before the Autumn of 2026.
The details of the changes and the timelines will no doubt become clearer over the coming days, weeks and months. But many changes in employment law are coming.