New Trade Union Provisions: What HR Teams Need to Know

What we’ll cover:

• Electronic balloting: from August 2026, unions can use electronic and workplace voting for statutory ballots, including industrial action and elections, if employer and union agree. We’ll explain what wider participation could mean for your organisation.
• Changes to industrial action: the 50% turnout threshold for industrial action ballots is expected to be removed next. We’ll cover what’s changed already, what’s still coming, and how easier ballots could affect you.
• Easier recognition: rules were simplified in April 2026, and unions no longer need to show they’re likely to win majority support before applying. We’ll look at what this lower bar means, especially if you’ve never faced a recognition request before.
• New workplace access rights: from 30th October 2026, unions get stronger rights to request access, even where no union is currently recognised. We’ll explain how the process works and when the Central Arbitration Committee gets involved.
• The duty to inform: employers must tell staff about their right to join a union. We’ll cover what to communicate, when, and how to build it into contracts and onboarding.
• Rights for union reps: including facility access and paid time off. We’ll cover what you’ll need in place to manage these requests properly.

Many organisations haven’t yet worked out how these changes touch their contracts, onboarding, or day-to-day management. This session helps you get ahead of it, before the biggest changes land.

Whether or not you currently recognise a trade union, this affects you.