Four things, none of them the words. From 1 January 2027 every new starter must receive a written statement of the right to join a trade union at the same time as their written particulars, and everyone already employed must have it by 5 April 2027. The government’s employment changes site says the regulations that fix the text and the method are expected to be laid before Parliament in November 2026, with guidance shortly after, so the statement itself is not yet published and nothing written in-house now will survive it.
What a talent acquisition team settles this month. First, the route, direct with the offer pack and the particulars, or indirect on the intranet with a yearly reminder, because the choice decides who owns the record. Second, the facts the statement must carry, which unions the organisation recognises and for which groups and sites, and whether any union now holds an access agreement under the regulations in force since 30 October. Third, the handover, since the particulars usually go out from HR or the onboarding system and the duty is measured from the start date, not the offer date. Fourth, the record, one column in the onboarding log, given, date, how, which is what a tribunal will ask about in 2027, not the wording.
The statement joins the January review of the offer and onboarding pack alongside unfair dismissal protection after six months. STAR members have the onboarding pack and the probation review documents on their shelf, and the in-house guide carries every date with its source. https://ior.org/professional-body-for-in-house-recruiters
Source. Trade union reform, business.gov.uk. The government response of 25 September 2026, gov.uk. The Trade Unions (Right to Access Workplaces) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/1101, legislation.gov.uk.
The BIOR Membership Team, The British Institute of Recruiters. Published 4 November 2026.