Right of trade unions to access workplaces

21 April 2026

The Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA) introduces a statutory right for independent trade unions to access workplaces, both physically and digitally, for the purposes of meeting, supporting, representing, recruiting, or organising workers, and facilitating collective bargaining, but not to organise industrial action. The new right of access is separate and distinct from the process of a trade union applying for statutory recognition or derecognition. However, it may be the prelude to such a process.

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