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 launched in April 2026. Its job is to make sure employers follow the rules and to take action when they don’t.
Previously, different workplace problems were handled by different government teams. For example, one team dealt with minimum wage, another with workplace exploitation, and another with health and safety. This made it confusing to know where to go if something went 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 now 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 have
The Fair Work Agency doesn’t just offer advice. It also has real powers to investigate and take action when employers break the law.
For example, enforcement officers are 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 does it cover?
The Fair Work Agency enforces 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.