Key Points
- Government drops plans for day-one unfair dismissal rights
- New proposal introduces a six-month qualifying period
- Change made as the Employment Rights Bill enters final parliamentary “ping pong” stage
The Government has confirmed that it will no longer proceed with its proposal to introduce day-one unfair dismissal rights as part of the Employment Rights Bill. Instead, employees will be required to complete a six-month qualifying period before gaining protection, bringing the proposal closer to existing probationary arrangements.
Ministers say the decision follows extensive feedback from employers who warned that day-one protection could undermine recruitment confidence and make early-stage performance management more difficult. The revised approach is intended to balance flexibility for employers with a shorter qualifying period than the current two-year requirement.
The Employment Rights Bill is now in the final “ping pong” stage of its passage through Parliament, during which amendments move between the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Government’s change of course follows a series of defeats in the Lords and mounting pressure from the Resolution Foundation and other organisations that advocated reducing the qualifying period rather than introducing full day-one rights.
