Huge change to employment laws to give millions more workers the right to two weeks’ leave

A HUGE change to employment laws will give millions more workers the right to two weeks’ unpaid leave. The rights will apply to workers who have suffered bereavement, such as early pregnancy losses or the death of a partner or close relative. The new laws will come into force from April next year. Currently, parents who experience a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy or the death of a child under 18 are legally entitled to leave. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduced a new right to unpaid leave for employees who experience the loss of a loved one. However, these new laws mean parents can take time off if they suffer a miscarriage, termination or unsuccessful IVF embryo transfer in early pregnancy. The rights will also apply to workers who lose a spouse or partner, parent, adult child or sibling. Step and half relatives will also be included as well as adoptive and kinship care and foster relationships. It follows a consultation aimed at making sure the new laws are “shaped with the needs of employees and employers”. Campaigners had also called for changes to the laws to help grieving parents who had no formal recognition of their loss in early pregnancy. Most read in Money Despite estimates that one in five women in the UK experience a miscarriage, there is currently no legal right to bereavement leave in these circumstances. Work minister Kate Dearden said: “No-one should have to fight for time to grieve. “These changes back people going through some of the hardest moments of life, whoever they are and wherever they work.” Comment now