Hargreaves, Robert ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8778-7417 and Johnston, Lily (2026) Day one rights: what actually happened? New Law Journal. (In Press)

Text NLJ - Day One Rights - What Happened Next (1).docx - Accepted Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (22kB)

Abstract

► The Employment Rights Act 2025 reduces the unfair dismissal qualifying period from two years to six months and abolishes the statutory cap on compensatory awards entirely. Both changes take effect on 1 January 2027.
► The removal of the cap was not in the original Bill and was not consulted on. It is the more radical of the two reforms, with potentially significant financial consequences for poorly handled dismissals.
► Employers must act now. Anyone hired from July 2026 onwards will acquire protection at the six-month mark, and the financial exposure attaching to unfair dismissal claims is fundamentally changed.

Item Type:	Article
Status:	In Press
Subjects:	K Law > KD England and Wales
School/Department:	York Business School
URI:	https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/14782

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