BrowseActsEmployment Act 2008
ACTEnacted

Employment Act 2008

A Bill to make provision about the procedure for the resolution of employment disputes; to provide for compensation for financial loss in cases of unlawful underpayment or non-payment; to make provision about the enforcement of minimum wages legislation and the application of the national minimum wage to Cadet Force Adult Volunteers; to make provision about the enforcement of offences under the Employment Agencies Act 1973; to make provision about the right of trade unions to expel or exclude members on the grounds of membership of a political party; and for connected purposes.

The Bill contains proposals to reform existing law covering industrial relations and employment protection. <br><strong><br>Key areas</strong><br><br><ul><li>Repeals the Employment Act 2002 (Dispute Resolution) Regulations 2004 which were intended to reduce employment litigation, but had unintended consequences in practice</li><li>The statutory dispute resolution procedures will be replaced by a new non-regulatory system; a package of measures to encourage early/informal resolution of employment disputes possibly with increased support for the involvement of Acas</li><li>Clarifies and strengthens the enforcement framework for the National Minimum Wage</li><li>Clarifies and strengthens employment agency standards to address some of the concerns about vulnerable workers </li><li>Changes the relevant labour law to ensure compliance with the European Court of Human Rights judgement in Aslef v UK. This requires clearer rights for trade unions to determine their membership, after domestic courts held that trade unions could not lawfully expel British National Party activists.</li></ul>

Sign in to trackLast fetched 25 Apr 2026 · parliament.uk
Progress through Parliament14 stages recorded
Lords
1st reading
06 Dec 2007
Lords
2nd reading
07 Jan 2008
Lords
Committee stage
04 Feb 2008
Lords
Report stage
19 May 2008
Lords
3rd reading
02 Jun 2008
Commons
1st reading
03 Jun 2008
Commons
2nd reading
14 Jul 2008
Commons
Programme motion
14 Jul 2008
Commons
Money resolution
14 Jul 2008
Commons
Committee stage
14 Oct 2008
Commons
Report stage
04 Nov 2008
Commons
3rd reading
04 Nov 2008
Lords
Consideration of Commons amendments and / or reasons
13 Nov 2008
Royal Assent
13 Nov 2008