Consultation: fire and rehire – changes to expenses, benefits, and shift patterns

The Government is proposing to introduce changes to the legislation around fire and rehire practices. This would prohibit dismissing an employee for failing to agree to certain variations in their employment contract (restricted variations).

This consultation looks at restrictions on varying contracts in relation to employment expenses and benefits; it also covers varying contracts in relation to shift patterns. The latter may be of particular interest to social care providers, where shift work is common. 

The consultation is available here.

The consultation closes on 1 April 2026.