Why you need to act now to strengthen your employment relations

The Employment Rights Act

The UK government has set out a clear road map for the introduction of the provisions set out in the  Employment Rights Act which was given Royal Assent on 18 December 2025 – the biggest change in industrial relations law for a generation.

The Act will give easier access for trade unions to workplaces, change the  thresholds and minimum notice periods for industrial action, as well as introducing a range of new rights at work, including day one employment rights.

What you can do now

The new legislation presents a range of challenges and opportunities for employers as they navigate
new responsibilities. A collaborative approach is needed and now is the time to foster this culture.

The IPA can help guide you through this process – from helping you assess how well you currently
listen to your employees, to building strong and sustainable partnership relationships with recognised trade unions.

Read:

Good industrial relations must underpin the Employment Rights Bill

A more successful economy based on better work for all

More about how the IPA can support your employment relations strategy

Listen:

CIPD Podcast 224: Is HR ready for ‘renaissance’ of union power in industrial relations?

Nita Clarke OBE, director of IPA joins Mustafa Faruqi, Employee Relations Strategy Director at BT; and Alistair Paton, Senior Director for Colleague Relations at Asda for this CIPD podcast hosted by Nigel Cassidy.

The episode explores:

Watch:

IPA webinar 'The Impact of the Employment Rights Bill' with speakers Martin McIvor, Deputy Head of Research, Prospect trade union and Nita Clarke and Lucy O'Melia, IPA.

Contact:

[email protected] to discuss your approach to the evolving industrial relations landscape or to arrange for a briefing for your senior leadership team.

Learning and development programmes

Positive employment relations relies on key individuals - senior leaders, managers and HR colleagues - developing the knowledge and skills to understand the ER environment and how to build effective relationships.

IPA has been working with employers and trade unions since we were founded in 1884, and supports organisations to develop new ways of working, based on trust and collaboration, that deliver better workplaces and better outcomes – improved productivity and employee wellbeing.

During this time, we have built a strong evidence base in support of establishing better working relationships with trade unions. Through our research and consultancy, we have witnessed many examples of effective dialogue between trade unions and employers has improved outcomes for both employees and the organisation.

Our approach to learning and development includes group learning, that balances subject matter expertise with collaborative and experiential learning. Our training is participatory by design.

Programmes include:

Employment Relations Workshops

Employment Relations Workshops are for senior leaders, HR/Employee Relations specialists and operational managers who are likely to be in regular contact with trade union representatives.

Through a tailored programme of half and one-day workshops, IPA can facilitate a constructive debate which helps participants understand the ways in which trade unions can act as key strategic partners to the organisation, and the steps necessary to build positive working relationships.

Typically, these workshops include a blend of training and facilitated group work, leading to tangible outputs and next steps. The exact content will be designed to fit the organisational context and desired outcomes from the workshops.

A high level summary of typical activities includes:

Introductory Workshop (half-day) - Principles, practices and perspectives

The purpose of this workshop is to ground participants in the key principles that underpin collective voice, to understand the current industrial relations landscape in the UK and to begin reflecting on the processes and employment relations culture at work in their organisation.

Sessions may cover:

• The power and potential of collective voice
• Trade Unions 101: the purpose of trade unions and why people join
• Trade Union recognition
• The role of a trade union representative
• Information, Consultation and Negotiation
• Benefits of working collaboratively
• Principles of good practice
• Key processes underpinning trade union relations

Participants will then be invited to explore the current context and appetite for improved working relationships with trade unions in their organisations.

Next steps may include gathering further insight from colleagues to help inform development activity in the subsequent workshop.

Development Workshop (full day) - Trade Unions and your organisation

The purpose of this second workshop is to bring together key insights from participants and identify the best way forward for developing collective voice through trade union relationships.

Where trade unions are already recognised, there is the option to run this as a joint workshop with managers and trade union representatives participating together.

Participants may be asked to consider: 

• The purpose of investing in better working relationships with the trade unions
• The outcomes they want to achieve
• Any legacy issues that need resolving
• The practices that need establishing or developing
• Skills and training required for colleagues
• Forward planning – forthcoming organisational changes and how to develop a joint approach to tackling them
• Meetings practice and infrastructure – how to run constructive, productive joint meetings

Participants should leave this workshop with a clear understanding of organisational objectives and actionable next steps.

Download our brochure here and get in touch to see how we could help improve your collaborative efforts.

Lucy O'Melia, head of learning and development:

E          [email protected]  

M         07852 836560