The most significant overhaul of UK workers' rights in over 25 years began coming into force on 6 April 2026 — but employment law experts warn that millions of workers remain unaware of what has changed, what rights they now have, and what steps they need to take to protect them.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduced Statutory Sick Pay from the first day of illness, made paternity leave and parental leave day-one rights, and launched the Fair Work Agency as a new single enforcement body for labour rights. From 1 January 2027, the qualifying period for unfair dismissal protection will reduce from two years to six months — a landmark change that will extend tribunal rights to millions of workers currently excluded from the system. The compensatory award cap for unfair dismissal will also be removed on the same date, leaving compensation uncapped.

Yet awareness among workers remains low. Employment tribunal claim volumes are already at record levels — approximately 615,000 single claims in 2023/24 according to Ministry of Justice statistics — and with far more workers gaining access to the tribunal system from January 2027, demand for accessible legal support is expected to rise sharply.

Start My Claim (startmyclaim.ai), a new AI-powered employment tribunal case builder, has launched a suite of free tools to help workers navigate both the new legislation and any existing claims they may have. The free resources include an Employment Rights Act 2025 Tracker, an ET1 Deadline Checker, an Eligibility Checker, a Settlement Value Calculator, and a daily Employment Law Updates feed.

Paul Keene, founder of Start My Claim, said: "The Employment Rights Act 2025 is a genuine shift in the law — but a change in the law only helps people who know about it and know how to use it. Right now, most workers don't. They don't know SSP is available from day one. They don't know that from next January they won't need two years' service to bring an unfair dismissal claim. And they certainly don't know they have three months to act before their right to claim expires permanently."

Start My Claim was built from personal experience. Keene represented himself at employment tribunal after solicitors quoted between £10,000 and £15,000 for representation. The platform also offers a paid AI case builder — from £39 per month — that guides users through their full ET1 claim, witness statement, schedule of loss, and hearing preparation. The free tools are available to anyone without registration at startmyclaim.ai.

About Start My Claim: startmyclaim.ai is an AI-powered employment tribunal case builder for UK workers, built by Vindivo Limited. Contact: Paul Keene, [email protected]