Architecture Workers’ Union Writes to Practices About Staff’s Right to Join a Union

Architecture practices with more than 10 employees have received a letter from SAW, the Section for Architectural Workers within Unite, reminding them of a new legal duty. From January, every UK employer will have to tell new and existing staff in writing that they have the right to join a trade union, under the Employment Rights Act 2025. The letter was shared with the Architects’ Journal.

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What the letter says

“Due to changes under the Employment Rights Act 2025 all employers in the United Kingdom will soon be under a statutory duty to provide workers with a written statement informing them of their right to join a trade union,” SAW writes. The branch describes itself as “currently the only trade union specifically for architectural workers in the UK” and says it is happy to talk to employers about recognising it. Alfie Gee, a SAW member, said he hoped the branch’s posters would end up on office walls around the country.

How the trade union statement will work

Section 58 of the Act sets out the duty in one line: an employer “must give the worker a written statement that the worker has the right to join a trade union”. The government’s business portal says the duty starts on 1 January 2027, with the details to be set out in secondary legislation and further guidance due this month.

According to the AJ, the government confirmed last month that the statement must be clear and neutral, and that it will publish a standard wording which employers may not change except to add details about their own workplace. New workers must receive it directly, at the same time as their contract. Existing staff must also be informed, and then reminded every year, either directly by 5 April next year or by being told where the statement can be found.

Why SAW is pushing now

Gee said the branch had grown every year and pointed to a demonstration in February as a sign of progress since 2019. “Still, when I speak to other architectural workers around me, too many people either don’t know what a union is or increasingly are scared that their boss will discriminate against them if they join,” he said. “Architecture needs to have a conversation from the ground up.”

Other changes coming for employers

The Act brings further changes next year, including cutting the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims from two years to six months and tighter limits on fire and rehire. Some measures are already in force, such as a requirement to do everything reasonable to stop sexual harassment at work, including harassment by clients, and stronger rights to paternity leave, unpaid parental leave, statutory sick pay and bereavement leave from April. Since 30 October, independent unions can also seek access to workplaces through statutory access agreements, with the Central Arbitration Committee deciding when employer and union cannot agree. The union measures cover England, Scotland and Wales but not Northern Ireland.

For practices, the immediate task is administrative: issue the standard statement to new starters with their contracts and plan how existing staff will be told.