Just and fair conditions at work: UK government action

The CEDAW recommendation was made in March 2019 and the ICESCR recommendation was made in March 2025.

The UK government introduced the Employment Rights Act 2025 in December 2025. The act introduced several measures to tackle insecure working conditions and provide a baseline security for workers, particularly women and disabled people.

Those measures already in force include:

• making existing entitlements to Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave available from the first day of employment
• strengthening Statutory Sick Pay by removing the Lower Earnings Limit and removing the waiting period
• clarifying that workers who report sexual harassment may qualify for whistleblowing protection

Other measures not yet in force include:

• strengthening the existing day one right to request flexible working by introducing a clearer process for employers to follow when a request cannot be agreed
• introducing new protections against dismissal for pregnant women, mothers on maternity leave and mothers for at least six months after they return to work
• giving eligible workers on zero hours and similar contracts the rights to guaranteed hours if they want them, reasonable notice of shifts and payments for short-notice cancellation of shifts, with corresponding rights for agency workers
• ending fire and re-hire practices by making dismissing someone then rehiring them on worse terms and conditions an automatically unfair dismissal, unless it meets a narrow exemption for financial difficulties
• working with employers to improve gender equality by requiring large employers to produce action plans, setting out how they are addressing the gender pay gap and supporting employees through menopause
• requiring employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees
• introducing an obligation on employers not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties
• reducing the qualifying period for claiming unfair dismissal from two years to six months
• reducing the qualifying period for employees’ right to written reasons for dismissal on request from two years to six months
• removing the cap on compensatory awards for unfair dismissal claims

Through the Employment Rights Act 2025 the UK government has also introduced the Fair Work Agency, which is responsible for:

• enforcing domestic agency rules
• the national minimum wage
• licensing standards for gangmasters
• acting against serious labour exploitation

In time, it will also take on additional rights such as holiday pay and statutory sick pay. By taking on these rights, the Fair Work Agency aims to protect workers form employers who flout minimum wage and other labour laws.

In June 2025, the UK government consulted on proposals to publish draft regulations which introduce mandatory pay gap reporting on ethnicity and disability for employers with 250 or more staff, similar to gender pay gap reporting. The UK government published the outcomes of its consultation in March 2026, in which it committed to introducing these proposals.

UN advice on the right to just and favourable conditions of work clarifies that governments have obligations to ensure workers receive fair wages that provide a decent living, including equal pay for work of equal value and pay that is not discriminatory. It also establishes that governments should ensure:

• occupational health and safety for workers
• equal opportunities in the workplace
• protection from unfair dismissal ko
• adequate rest, leisure and holiday time

Actions taken since these recommendations were made in 2019 and 2025, particularly measures addressing working conditions and worker protections under the Employment Rights Act 2025, demonstrate progress in realising these obligations across several areas. The UK government also more generally complies with UN advice on the right to just and favourable conditions of work through its domestic labour laws and enforcement framework. These aim to secure:

• fair pay
• safe working conditions
• reasonable working hours
• protection against exploitation

Measures include the National Minimum and National Living Wage, statutory limits and protections under the Working Time Regulations 1998 (covering hours, rest and paid leave), health and safety duties enforced by the Health and Safety Executive and equality and anti-discrimination law under the Equality Act 2010.

Assessment up to date as of June 2026.

The CEDAW recommendation was made in March 2019 and the ICESCR recommendation was made March 2025.

In July 2025, the UK government launched a review of the Parental Leave and Pay system. The review will consider maternity and paternity leave, as well as shared parental leave, to see how it can work better for parents and employers. The objectives of the review include supporting parents to make balanced childcare choices, including enabling co-parenting and providing more flexibility around work and childcare needs. The review will run for 18 months, concluding with a plan for implementing reforms.  

After the recommendation was made in March 2025, the Employment Rights Act 2025 passed into law in December 2025. Through this act, the UK government introduced new day one rights to parental leave and paternity leave. Under these changes, parents are now eligible for Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave from the first day of employment, rather than having to wait six months to be eligible for Paternity Leave or a year for Unpaid Parental Leave. The Employment Rights Act also removed the requirement that Paternity Leave and Pay be taken before Shared Parental Leave and Pay, giving parents more flexibility in how and when they choose to take their leave. A new Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave was also introduced in April 2026, providing up to 52 weeks of leave for fathers and partners who lose their partner before their child’s first birthday.

The existing shared parental leave scheme, in place from December 2014, allows parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay, but this is taken from the mother's maternity entitlement, not provided as additional leave. Before this recommendation was made, in February 2018, the UK government launched a ‘share the joy’ campaign to encourage parents to use Shared Parental Leave, but the government has not run any similar campaigns since.

Assessment up to date as of June 2026.

The primary legislation protecting workers in the UK from discrimination in employment and occupation is the Equality Act 2010. While sex and race (including ethnicity or national origin) are already protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, no new protections against discrimination have been introduced since this recommendation was made in March 2025.

In October 2024, before the recommendation was made, new protections under the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 came into force. The act places a new legal duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees. In December 2025, the Employment Rights Act 2025 made changes to the Worker Protection Act to strengthen protections against sexual harassment at work, including new provisions that require employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent workers from harassment. It also includes measures to protect workers from harassment from third parties, which will come into effect in October 2026. The UK government will also lay regulations specifying reasonable steps employers must take to prevent sexual harassment. These regulations are expected in 2027. 

The Employment Rights Act 2025 also increases the time limit within which employees can make an employment Tribunal claim from three months to six months. It also amends the Employment Rights Act 1996 to make clear that workers who whistleblow on sexual harassment can benefit from whistleblowing protections against adverse treatment (detriment) and unfair dismissal. 

The Act also addresses the misuse of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), to render void any NDA between a worker and employer that prevents workers from speaking out about workplace harassment or discrimination. On 15 April 2026, the UK government launched a consultation to seek views on the regulations to prevent the misuse of NDAs in cases of workplace harassment or discrimination. The consultation closes in July 2026. The government’s timeline update states that the NDA measure and accompanying regulations are expected to begin in 2027.

In April 2025, the UK government launched an equality law call for evidence which included creating and maintaining workplaces and working conditions free from harassment, and it will publish responses in spring 2026.

The UK government enforces the Worker Protection Act though employment tribunals, which can award an uplift in compensation of up to 25% if it is found that the employer failed to take reasonable preventative steps. The UK government has also granted the Equality and Human Rights Commission enforcement powers to investigate suspected breaches of the duty.

In April 2025, the UK government launched a call for evidence to break down barriers to opportunity at work. The UK government also consulted on how to implement mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers in Great Britain. The evidence gathered will help shape the draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill which is expected to be implemented in 2026.

Assessment up to date as of June 2026.

Since the recommendation was made in May 2024, the UK government has continued to facilitate migrant workers to report experiences of abuse and exploitation by funding the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA). The GLAA is a non-departmental public body with responsibility for protecting vulnerable and exploited workers. The Home Office is responsible for the budget of the GLAA. The budget decreased to £6.26 million in the 2024–2025 financial year, from £7.77 million in the 2023–2024 financial year.

GLAA reporting forms are available in eight languages. The GLAA's website also provides some information about migrant worker’s rights and available remedies, including leaflets on workers’ rights translated into 21 languages.

Migrant workers can also continue to report abuse and exploitation to the police.

There is no evidence that the UK government has conducted any educational campaigns for migrant workers.

The ICESCR recommendation was made in March 2025. Since before the recommendation was made, migrant workers with the right to work in the UK generally have had the same rights, such as to be paid the national minimum wage and to be protected from discrimination, as other workers. Overall, since this recommendation was made, there have been certain rights extensions to sectors like health and social care, in which there are many migrant workers on Health and Social Care Worker Visas. Before this recommendation was made, the UK government had also committed to improving rights for migrant workers on the Seasonal Worker Visa, but it is unclear whether action has been taken. There is no evidence that the UK government has taken measures to ensure equal enjoyment of the right to just and fair conditions at work for workers on Overseas Domestic Worker Visas.

Since the recommendation was made, the UK government has not banned all recruitment fees or made changes to restrictions on changing employers. Employers cannot, however, pass on visa sponsorship fees to certain migrant workers, for instance those on the skilled worker route.

Improving just and fair conditions at work for migrant workers, reducing exploitation and improving trade union rights

In November 2024, before the ICESCR recommendation was made, the UK government announced new measures to crack down on migrant worker exploitation. This included banning businesses who break visa rules or commit serious employment breaches, such as not paying the National Minimum Wage, from hiring overseas workers.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 also granted enhanced protections against unfair dismissal and made it easier for workers in general, including migrant workers, to access sick pay and family related leave rights. Changes to unfair dismissal, including reduction of the qualifying period for protection against unfair dismissal from two years to six months, will not come into effect until January 2027. Under the act, trade union rights have also been strengthened by repealing both the Trade Union Act 2016 and the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023. 

Inspection and reporting mechanisms 

In the UK, migrant workers’ rights are monitored and enforced by labour enforcement bodies, immigration oversight and individual legal remedies. 

The Fair Work Agency (FWA) was established in April 2026 under the Employment Rights Act 2025. It brought together enforcement functions of three predecessor bodies who investigated labour exploitation and abuse for workers, including for migrant workers. These included the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), which was responsible for licensing standards for gangmasters and acting against serious labour exploitation, as well as the National Minimum Wage functions of HMRC and the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate. The FWA’s remit also includes elements of the Fraud Act 2006. This enables it to investigate and take action in cases of serious labour exploitation, including where it affects migrant workers, that do not meet the threshold for modern slavery offences.

Oversight of how immigration controls interact with working conditions is provided through inspection and reporting mechanisms under the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI). The ICIBI is an independent monitor of the Home Office that is responsible for inspecting and scrutinising UK border and immigration functions. Its inspections can include working conditions or certain sectors where migrant workers are prevalent. Their findings and recommendations are captured in inspection reports which are submitted to the Home Secretary and laid before Parliament before publication.

Access to legal aid and language services

Before the ICESCR recommendation was made, the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO 2012) removed most employment law cases from the scope of legal aid, including for migrant workers.

Migrant workers can access legal aid more generally in other cases outside of employment law, for example human trafficking cases or discrimination cases, if they meet legal aid criteria.

Before this recommendation was made, in January 2019, the Home Office introduced the Advice Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) service, operated by Migrant Help, to provide an independent resource for asylum seekers to request help, report issues and property defects, provide feedback or make complaints. Migrant Help offers interpreting and translation via Clear Voice and information on legal aid in several languages.

Migrant seasonal workers

In July 2024, before the ICESCR recommendation was made, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) produced a review of the Seasonal Worker Visa following a consultation. MAC is an independent public body sponsored by the Home Office. The review included recommendations on ensuring fairer work and pay for seasonal workers and strengthening, communicating and enforcing employee rights. In January 2026, the government responded to the MAC’s Seasonal Worker review, accepting some of their recommendations and partially accepting others. It is unclear which of these recommendations it has taken forward.  

Migrant health and social care workers

In July 2025, the UK government made changes to UK visa and settlement rules following the 2025 immigration white paper. It shortened the list of job types for which employers can sponsor workers from overseas, and it ended an existing exemption which had allowed employers to recruit social care workers from abroad. The Employment Rights Act 2025 received royal assent in December 2025 and will introduce a fair pay agreement for the adult social care sector which will apply to migrant workers. It will include negotiating bodies in each nation comprising trade unions and employer representatives who will negotiate better pay and conditions. This will apply to current migrant workers in the social care sector. In October 2025, the UK government launched a consultation on the fair pay agreement process in adult social care. The consultation closed in January 2026 and the government is now analysing feedback.  

Assessment up to date as of June 2026.

Since the recommendation was made in March 2025, the UK government has passed the Employment Rights Act 2025. The first phase of this act came into force in December 2025, repealing the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023. The majority of the Trade Union Act 2016 was also repealed by the Employment Rights Act in February 2026, simplifying requirements on trade unions, including in relation to industrial action and political funds. Section 69 of the Employment Rights Act 2025 removes the requirement for a 40% support threshold to be met in industrial action ballots in certain important public services. The Employment Rights Act 2025 also introduced changes to facilitate trade union activity, including simplified ballots, reducing the time required to give notice of industrial action and the removal of requirements for picket supervisors.

In relation to measures taken to prevent blacklisting, the Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010 came into force on 2 March 2010. This was before the recommendation was made. The regulations provide different civil legal remedies for workers who have been blacklisted. The workers can make claims in the Employment Tribunal or in the Civil courts (in respect of statutory duty breaches) and can be awarded compensation of up to £65,300. The repealing of the majority of the Trade Union Act 2016 and the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 allows these measures to be enforced. The Employment Rights Act 2025 also enables the scope of blacklisting protections to be broadened through secondary legislation, but it does not introduce legal remedies or compensation in addition to what was already available. This change will come into force in 2027. 

Under sections 137 and 138 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 it is unlawful to refuse a person employment or agency services because they are, or are not, a member of a trade union. The UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 reinforce these rights by safeguarding the use of many types of personal data, which includes information on trade union membership. The Information Commissioner may issue a data controller with a monetary penalty of up to £17,500,000 or 4% of an undertaking’s total worldwide turnover, under section 155 of the Data Protection Act 2018 and Article 58 and 83 of the UK GDPR for breaching this provision. 

In November 2025, the UK government committed to introducing electronic and workplace balloting for statutory union ballots via secondary legislation. It also launched a consultation on the Draft Code of Practice on Electronic and Workplace Balloting for Statutory Union Ballots. The Code will provide practical information on the conduct of electronic and workplace ballots, including requirements on each party involved and good practice. The consultation closed in January 2026 and the government is now analysing feedback. Electronic and workplace balloting is due to be available as an option for trade unions in political fund ballots, industrial action ballots, union elections, and merger and amalgamation ballots from August 2026.

Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, since February 2026, the 12-week cap on protection from unfair dismissal for taking part in industrial action has been removed.

Assessment up to date as of June 2026.