UK revokes Minimum Service Levels union code 6 April
If you are teaching industrial action or revising employment law, this is a clean, real‑world case to learn from. On 21 January 2026 the government laid a short Statutory Instrument confirming that the union reasonable steps code linked to Minimum Service Levels will be revoked. The measure is the Employment Rights Act 2025 (Minimum Service Levels) (Consequential Revocation) Regulations 2026, S.I. 2026/42, and the official source is legislation.gov.uk.
To read any Statutory Instrument confidently, track three dates. This instrument was made on 19 January 2026, laid before Parliament on 21 January 2026, and it comes into force on 6 April 2026. It extends to England, Wales and Scotland. Knowing the difference helps you explain to students when a rule is created, when Parliament sees it, and when it actually starts to apply.
What exactly is being revoked? The Code of Practice on Reasonable Steps. This code set out how a trade union should act to meet the reasonable steps duty that sat within the Minimum Service Levels framework during strikes, including when work notices were issued. In plain terms, it was practical guidance aimed at unions during industrial action.
Where did that code come from? The Secretary of State issued it under sections 203 and 204 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, and it started on 8 December 2023, the date named in the Code of Practice (Reasonable Steps for Trade Unions) Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/1333), as recorded on legislation.gov.uk. Codes of Practice give guidance; they sit alongside the law rather than replacing it.
Why remove the code now? Section 78 of the Employment Rights Act 2025 repeals the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 and the related amendments it made to the 1992 Act. Once Parliament repealed that regime, the reasonable steps code no longer had a role. These 2026 Regulations are the tidy‑up that follows the repeal.
What changes for you on 6 April 2026? The specific reasonable steps code tied to Minimum Service Levels will no longer apply in Great Britain. This does not rewrite every rule on strikes or union conduct; it simply removes that particular code because the underlying Minimum Service Levels provisions have been repealed. If you are a rep or HR lead, check your organisation’s guidance for any internal references to the code and update accordingly.
This is a useful classroom moment. An Act can introduce a policy, a later Act can repeal it, and an SI then clears away the guidance that supported it. Seeing the sequence-made, laid, in force-builds confidence when reading official documents and helps learners understand how the law changes in steps rather than all at once.
Try mapping the chain with your students. The 1992 Act provides for Codes of Practice. The 2023 Act added the Minimum Service Levels regime and work notices. The 2025 Act removed that regime. The 2026 Regulations revoke the code that explained how unions were expected to take reasonable steps within it. That simple timeline anchors a complex policy shift.
The Department for Business and Trade notes that no impact assessment has been produced because officials do not expect a significant effect on the private, voluntary or public sectors. The instrument is signed by Parliamentary Under‑Secretary of State Kate Dearden, dated 19 January 2026, as shown on legislation.gov.uk.
The headline for learners and workplaces is straightforward: from 6 April 2026 the reasonable steps code for Minimum Service Levels will not be in force in Great Britain. For the precise wording and legal citations, consult the entry on legislation.gov.uk and use the dates above to explain how Parliament updates the rulebook.