New law means employers may be fined up to £500,000 if they deny trade unions access to the workplace to recruit new members

From October 2026, a new law will be passed that means trade unions have statutory rights to enter a business and recruit staff on a weekly basis. If a business refuses a union entry without a justifiable reason, it will be referred to the Central Arbitration Committee who can then force an employer to allow the union to enter their workplace.

If the employer still doesn’t allow the trade union access to the workplace, they could be given a starting fine of £75,000, a second breach could cost £150,000 and finally fines of £500,000 per breach can be imposed for repeated non-compliance. This will cover any business with 21 or more employees.

The government says this new policy aims to target ‘rogue employers’ and act as a ‘meaningful deterrent against deliberate non-compliance', increasing the power of trade unions and accessibility of strike action.

Employers will be given a 15 working day period to respond to the trade union access requests.  Additionally, there will be a limit of 25 days to allow for negotiations and 55 days for a referral to the Central Arbitration Committee.

The government has agreed that denial will be allowed conditionally in circumstances where it is justified, such as when a union entering the workplace may be ‘contrary to the interests of national security’.

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