Employment Rights Awareness Week 2025.

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27 April 2025

This week, Employment Rights Awareness Week, Citizens Advice across south Warwickshire will be focusing on making sure all low paid workers across our communities are aware of basic employment rights, recent and upcoming changes to employment law which might affect them, and where they can go to get free impartial expert employment rights advice.

Understanding employment rights, and how to exercise them, is vital to surviving and thriving in work. Whether referring to statutory rights or contractual rights it is in every workers’ best interests to know about what they are entitled to as a matter of law.

In the context of current government efforts to bring more ‘disabled’ benefit claimants into the workforce, it is more important than ever for those with mental and/or physical health challenges to know what their employment rights are, and how to enforce them, and what responsibilities employers have to their ‘disabled’ workforce.

It is also important to know where to turn to find out more about these rights and how to exercise them; especially if you are in part-time, low paid, temporary or insecure work.

All employment rights are either statutory (applicable to everyone) or contractual (specific to your employment contract).

They can apply differently to workers in different circumstances so it is important to understand what your ‘employment status’ is and what you are entitled to.

Contractual rights can only build on statutory rights, they cannot undermine them.

For information on all aspects of your status and rights as an employed person go to the Citizens Advice website here and search for what you need.

Changes in Employment Law which came into effect last April (2024).

A number of new statutory employment rights came into force last year. They related to:

Paternity Leave
Protection against redundancy for pregnant workers
Carers’ Leave, and
‘Flexible Working’.

For more details on each of these, and other changes, click here .

Changes to Employment Law set for April 2025.

Other than uprating National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage Rates - and Family Leave, Sick Pay and Redundancy payment rates - little new employment law was introduced this month that will affect low income workers.

Two issues that were addressed centred on:

Neonatal care leave and pay, and
Paternity (bereavement) Leave.

Both issues require finishing touches at the time of writing to become enforceable law.

Upcoming Changes in Employment Law.

Though the wide-reaching Employment Rights Bill was introduced into Parliament in October 2024, many of its provisions are still being debated. Once these have passed through the scrutiny process, look out for significant changes to some or all of the following:

Rules around worker protections for those experiencing ‘collective redundancy’
The application of zero hours contract protections to agency workers, and
The strengthening of Statutory Sick Pay Provisions.

More on all of the above can be found here .

‘Modern Slavery’.

The purpose of employment rights is to protect and empower workers against dangerous or damaging working practices and poor employer behaviour. In extreme cases such behaviour can amount to exploitation or versions of ‘modern slavery’.

To find out more about what ‘modern slavery’ is, and how to spot and report it, click here .

Advice and Guidance Options.

Finally, for those of us who find ourselves in a difficult situation at work and don’t immediately know where to turn, there is free expert support out there providing information, advice, guidance and/or advocacy services.

The Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) provides a free confidential helpline for anyone who needs employment law or workplace advice, including employers, employees and workers. They can talk through:

any work-related problem or question you have
what the law says and how it relates to you
good practice at work
your options, including any risks and benefits.

You do not have to give any personal details. The helpline number, open Monday-Friday 8am-6pm, is 0300 123 1100. To speak to them in another language, call the helpline above and ask for an interpreter. They can provide one straight away. More information on their service can be found here .

The Pay and Work Rights Helpline and Complaints Service provides a channel for you to make complaints about your employer or employment agency directly to the appropriate regulating agency; for example, to HMRC for issues related to the National Minimum / National Living Wage. More information on this service can be found here .

Membership of a Trade Union will also guarantee access to employment advice and support.

For general advice on what to do if you have a problem at work click here .

Reliable, secure, well paid work is a path out of poverty but only if workers are treated with respect in and out of the workplace. Knowing your rights, exercising your rights and protecting your interests will help you survive and thrive in work. Follow us on twitterX at @CAAcrossWarks to keep abreast of key campaign messages.

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