Duty To Inform Workers Of Their Right To Join A Trade Union
UK employers are preparing for another change to employment law.
From 30TH October 2026, employers in Great Britain will be required to provide workers with a written statement informing them of their right to join a trade union.
For employers that have never dealt with a trade union, it could be an easy change to overlook.
Yet the requirement is not limited to businesses that already recognise a union. It introduces a new employer compliance responsibility under the Employment Rights Act 2025.
What is changing?
The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a legal duty requiring employers to give workers a written statement informing them that they have the right to join a trade union.
The new duty is due to take effect on 30 October 2026.
The statement will need to be provided when the worker receives their written statement of employment particulars at the start of employment.
Employers will also be required to provide the information again at other prescribed times.
Do employers need to do this if they do not recognise a trade union?
Employers should not assume the requirement is irrelevant simply because their workplace is not currently unionised.
The legislation creates an employer duty to inform workers about their right to join a trade union.
Workers already have legal rights surrounding trade union membership, including the right to choose whether to join or not join a union.
The new requirement introduces an additional obligation on employers to actively provide information about that right.
What will employers need to give workers?
Some important details are still to come.
Secondary legislation will set out requirements including:
• the information that must appear in the statement
• the form the statement must take
• how it must be provided
• when it must be provided again
• which workers are covered by the requirements
Further Government guidance is expected in September 2026.
Employers should therefore be cautious about creating their own final wording before the prescribed requirements are known.
What should employers do now?
Businesses do not need to guess what the final statement will say.
They can, however, start preparing their HR processes.
Employers should know where written employment particulars are generated and issued, how they record documents provided to workers and who is responsible for updating employment documentation when legal requirements change.
Once the final requirements are published, the new statement will need to become part of that process.
Employers will also need to understand the circumstances in which the information must be provided again.
Why this matters beyond one new statement
On its own, another document may not sound significant.
The wider issue for employers is the growing number of employment responsibilities, dates, documents and processes that need to be managed correctly.
Employment law changes.
Employees join and leave.
Documents need issuing.
Right to Work evidence needs maintaining.
Probation periods need managing.
Compliance dates approach.
Workplace matters arise.
And somebody within the business needs to know what needs doing and when.
For a small employer without an internal HR department, keeping track of all of this can become increasingly difficult.
How Leo HR can help
Leo HR has been built around the reality that employers need more than somewhere to store employee records.
The platform brings together employee information, employment documentation, compliance, recruitment, due diligence, workplace matters, learning and development and important reminders.
When something happens, employers can also use Ask Leo to access professional AI-powered HR guidance and work through what they may need to do next.
As new employment requirements develop, having structured HR processes becomes increasingly important.
HR software has traditionally recorded HR. Leo HR is built to help employers manage it.
Preparing for 30 October 2026
The new duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade union is due to take effect on 30 October 2026.
Further Government guidance is expected in September, so employers should watch for the final requirements rather than relying on assumptions about exactly what must be provided.
Leo HR will continue to monitor relevant employment developments as the implementation details become clearer.
Discover Leo HR and start your free 7-day trial at leohr.co.uk.
Want to see more from Leo HR in Google?
Add Leo HR as a Preferred Source to see more of our practical employment and HR guidance in Google Search and AI experiences.
