The government’s new Employment Rights Act 2025 is a major step forward for women’s rights at work. It aims to transform young women’s working lives by making work safer, fairer and more secure through a set of new and strengthened laws. Find out what’s changing and when in our blog.
What is the Fair Work Agency?
As part of the Employment Rights Act, a new government team called the Fair Work Agency will launch in April 2026. Its job will be to make sure employers follow the rules and to take action when they don’t.
Right now, different workplace problems are handled by different government teams. For example, one team deals with minimum wage, another with workplace exploitation, and another with health and safety. This can make it confusing to know where to go if something goes wrong at work.
The Fair Work Agency aims to make this process simpler and act as ‘a single place where workers and employers can turn to for help’. This means workers will have one place to go if they’re treated unfairly, or if their employer isn’t following the rules.
We’re working closely with young women and the government to help make sure the new Fair Work Agency truly works for young women. Find out more about our Rights Here, Rights Now campaign.
What powers the Fair Work Agency will have
The Fair Work Agency won’t just offer advice. It will also have real powers to investigate and take action when employers break the law.
For example, enforcement officers will be able to:
- inspect workplaces and ask employers for documents to check they’re following the law
- order employers to pay back wages if workers have been underpaid
- take cases to an employment tribunal on a worker’s behalf
- take action against serious labour market offences
What rights will it cover?
The Fair Work Agency will enforce several key workplace protections, including:
- the National Minimum Wage
- rules that protect agency workers
- rules to prevent exploitation
- some protections linked to modern slavery laws
In the future, the agency will also make sure workers receive things like holiday pay and statutory sick pay.
If you’re facing problems at work right now, we offer free support for young women aged 18–30 to help you understand your rights and plan your next steps.