Closed consultation

Make Work Pay: trade union right of access

• From: Department for Business and Trade, Kate Dearden MP and The Rt Hon Peter Kyle MP
• Published: 23 October 2025

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

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Summary

We're consulting on how the new legal framework for trade unions’ right of access into workplaces should work in practice. We're seeking views on the practical and operational details of the framework.

This consultation ran from
9am on 23 October 2025 to 11:59pm on 18 December 2025

Consultation description

The Employment Rights Bill will introduce a new framework for trade unions to access workplaces physically, and to communicate with workers in person or digitally.  

This includes details on:

• how unions will request access
• how employers respond
• factors the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) will take into account when determining whether access should be granted and on what terms
• how the CAC is to come to decisions on the values of fines issued for breaches of access agreements

This consultation invites views from trade unions, employers, workers, and members of the public who are likely to be affected by this new framework.

Documents

Consultation on right of trade unions to access workplaces

PDF, 540 KB, 36 pages

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Published 23 October 2025