# UK Employment Law — Jurisdiction Reference Map

> **Review map only.** This file describes the structure of the employment-law regime in Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales). Northern Ireland has separate employment legislation administered by the Labour Relations Agency. This file is not legal advice, may be out of date, and must be verified against current official sources. Jurisdiction-specific conclusions require qualified UK employment counsel.

Last verified: 2026-05-18

---

## Regime overview

UK employment law is a statutory framework supplemented by ACAS codes of practice, employment tribunal case law, and contractual rights. Employment protections are primarily statutory; the key battleground is usually procedural fairness (following the ACAS Code and a fair process) alongside the substantive reason for the action. Since Brexit, EU directives no longer directly apply, though the body of retained EU-derived legislation continues to be operative unless expressly amended — verify current status of any EU-derived provision against legislation.gov.uk. The Employment Rights Act 2024 introduced significant changes including reforms to unfair dismissal; the reviewer must verify the current state of implementation against official sources.

Employment status in the UK has three tiers: employee, worker, and self-employed/independent contractor. The protections available differ materially across the three. Confirming status is a threshold question.

---

## Primary regulators and bodies

| Body | Role | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) | Codes of practice; pre-claim conciliation; guidance | https://www.acas.org.uk/advice |
| Employment Tribunals | Primary forum for unfair dismissal, discrimination, wage, and other employment claims | https://www.gov.uk/employment-tribunals |
| Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) | Appeals on points of law from Employment Tribunals | https://www.gov.uk/courts-tribunals/employment-appeal-tribunal |
| Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) | Equality Act 2010 enforcement and guidance | https://www.equalityhumanrights.com |
| Health and Safety Executive (HSE) | Workplace health, safety, and wellbeing | https://www.hse.gov.uk |
| ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) | UK GDPR and data protection enforcement | https://ico.org.uk |
| HMRC | National minimum wage enforcement; employment status (tax/NICs) | https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs |

---

## Primary statutes and frameworks

| Statute / framework | Subject | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Employment Rights Act 1996 | Unfair dismissal, redundancy, written particulars, statutory rights | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/18 |
| Equality Act 2010 | Discrimination, harassment, victimisation — nine protected characteristics | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15 |
| ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures | Procedural fairness standard — tribunals adjust awards for non-compliance | https://www.acas.org.uk/acas-code-of-practice-for-disciplinary-and-grievance-procedures |
| Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) | Employee rights on business transfers and service-provision changes | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/246 |
| Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (TULRCA) | Collective redundancy consultation; trade union rights; industrial action | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/52 |
| National Minimum Wage Act 1998 | Minimum wage entitlements (rates verified via gov.uk annually) | https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates |
| Working Time Regulations 1998 | Working hours, rest, annual leave | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/1833 |
| UK GDPR / Data Protection Act 2018 | Personal data processing in employment | https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection |
| Whistleblowing legislation (PIDA 1998 as amended) | Protected disclosures; detriment and dismissal protection | https://www.gov.uk/whistleblowing |
| Employment Rights Act 2024 | Day-one unfair dismissal rights (implementation timetable — verify current status) | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2024/15 |

---

## Structural review checkpoints

**Unfair dismissal**
- Employees with the qualifying service period may claim unfair dismissal. The Employment Rights Act 2024 proposed day-one unfair dismissal rights — verify the current implementation status and effective date before assuming a qualifying period applies.
- For a dismissal to be fair: (a) there must be a fair reason (conduct, capability, redundancy, statutory illegality, or some other substantial reason); and (b) the employer must have acted reasonably, including following a fair procedure consistent with the ACAS Code.
- Failure to follow the ACAS Code may lead to an uplift in tribunal compensation of up to the percentage stated in the Code — verify the current figure at https://www.acas.org.uk.
- Automatically unfair dismissal (no qualifying period required) includes: whistleblowing, asserting a statutory right, pregnancy/maternity, trade union activity, and others — verify the full list at https://www.acas.org.uk/dismissals/unfair-dismissal.

**Protected characteristics (Equality Act 2010)**
Nine protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation. Confirm which apply to the matter. Harassment and victimisation protections are separate heads of claim.

**Procedural fairness (ACAS Code)**
The ACAS Code of Practice requires: investigation, invitation to a hearing with notice, right to be accompanied (by a colleague or trade union representative), decision communicated in writing, and right of appeal. Failure at any step raises unfair dismissal risk and may result in a compensation uplift.

**Redundancy**
- Collective consultation (TULRCA s.188) is required when proposing to dismiss 20 or more employees at one establishment within 90 days. The minimum consultation period varies by the number of redundancies — verify the current statutory periods at https://www.gov.uk/staff-redundant/redundancy-consultations.
- Notification to the Secretary of State (HR1 form) is required before collective redundancies. Verify at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/redundancy-payments-hr1-advance-notification-of-redundancies.
- Selection criteria for redundancy must be objective and consistently applied. Criteria that proxy for protected characteristics (e.g., last-in-first-out applied to a younger/female-skewed population) are discrimination risks.
- Statutory redundancy pay entitlements apply — verify current rates at https://www.gov.uk/redundancy-your-rights.

**TUPE**
- Applies on a relevant transfer (business sale, outsourcing, re-tendering). Employees transfer with existing terms; dismissal for a TUPE-related reason is automatically unfair.
- Employer and employee representatives must be informed and, where measures are envisaged, consulted before the transfer.

**Data protection and investigations**
- UK GDPR applies to processing employee personal data. Special-category data (health, ethnicity, union membership) requires explicit consent or another Schedule 2 condition under the DPA 2018 — verify with ICO guidance.
- Workplace investigation records, medical information, and grievance files are personal data; their retention, access, and sharing must comply with UK GDPR.

**Immigration and right to work**
- Employers must conduct right-to-work checks before employment begins and at specified intervals for time-limited permissions. Employing someone without the right to work is a civil and potentially criminal offence. Verify current check requirements at https://www.gov.uk/check-job-applicant-right-to-work.

---

## Escalation triggers (UK-specific)

- Any proposed dismissal of an employee who has raised a grievance, whistleblowing concern, or protected-characteristic complaint (automatic unfair dismissal risk).
- Collective redundancy where 20+ dismissals at one establishment within 90 days may be in scope.
- TUPE transfer or service-provision change in the transaction.
- Disciplinary action where the ACAS Code has not been followed at any step.
- Any proposed action affecting an employee on maternity leave, shared parental leave, or a fit note.
- Day-one unfair dismissal provisions under ERA 2024 — verify current implementation status with employment counsel.
- Any employment tribunal claim filed or ACAS early conciliation initiated.

---

## Sources

- https://www.acas.org.uk/advice — ACAS advice hub (fetched 2026-05-18, resolved)
- https://www.acas.org.uk/dismissals/unfair-dismissal — ACAS unfair dismissal guidance (fetched 2026-05-18, resolved)
- https://www.acas.org.uk/disciplinary-procedure-step-by-step — ACAS disciplinary procedure (fetched 2026-05-18, resolved)
- https://www.gov.uk/browse/working — GOV.UK working hub (fetched 2026-05-18, resolved)
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/18 — Employment Rights Act 1996 (confirmed via search 2026-05-18)
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15 — Equality Act 2010 (confirmed via search 2026-05-18)
