Working together to make employment rights easier to understand and uphold

I'm Lisa Pinney, Chief Executive of the Fair Work Agency. The Fair Work Agency launched on 7 April 2026. Our purpose is practical. We:

• help workers understand and access their rights
• support employers to comply with the law
• take strong action where rogue businesses seek to exploit workers and prevent a level playing field by undercutting responsible employers

The Fair Work Agency brings together the work of: 

• Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate
• Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority
• Office of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement

National Minimum Wage compliance will join us from April 2027. Over time, we will also take on further responsibilities under the Employment Rights Act 2025. Bringing these functions together gives us the opportunity to provide a more coherent enforcement system and to focus on resolving issues earlier where we can, while taking firm action where serious non-compliance or exploitation occurs.

Fair Work Agency role and purpose

Our purpose sits naturally alongside Acas's role in making working life better for everyone in Britain. Acas provides free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules and best practice, as well as training and dispute resolution. 

The Fair Work Agency has a different but complementary role: we focus on compliance and enforcement within our remit. Working together well means workers and employers should be able to: 

• find the right support more easily
• understand what is expected
• get clearer routes to help when things go wrong

For workers, this matters because rights only make a difference when people know about them, feel confident raising concerns, and can access support that is clear and joined up. For employers, it matters because most businesses want to do the right thing and need straightforward, reliable information that helps them comply in practice. Better signposting between Acas and the Fair Work Agency will help reduce confusion, avoid duplication and make it easier for people to reach the organisation best placed to help.

Acas and the Fair Work Agency are already developing practical ways of working together, including: 

• clearer referral pathways
• aligned digital content
• better customer journeys

That may sound technical, but the aim is simple: if a worker is worried about pay, treatment at work or possible exploitation, they should not have to understand the whole system before they can ask for help. If an employer wants to check what good compliance looks like, they should be able to find clear guidance and be directed to the right place quickly.

In our first year, the Fair Work Agency is focusing on 3 things: 

• delivering for those who need us now
• building the systems, policies and capability needed for a larger organisation
• innovating so that guidance, tools and services are simpler for workers and employers to use

Partnership with Acas is central to all 3.

For workers

Closer working should mean clearer routes to advice, support and enforcement. We want people to: 

• understand their rights
• know when Acas can help
• know when the Fair Work Agency may be the right route
• feel confident that concerns about exploitation or serious non-compliance will be taken seriously

For employers

Closer working should mean simpler, more consistent information and fewer unnecessary hand-offs. Responsible businesses should be supported to: 

• understand their obligations
• keep good records
• correct mistakes where they occur
• compete on a level playing field

For the wider labour market

Closer working should mean better use of insight, clearer public information and more effective action where poor practice harms workers and disadvantages compliant employers. We want enforcement to be targeted, proportionate and informed by real experience from: 

• workers
• survivors of exploitation
• employers
• unions
• representative bodies
• academics
• the third sector

Joining up the system

We know that employment rights can feel complex, particularly as changes under the Employment Rights Act 2025 continue to take effect during 2026 and 2027. Acas has an important role in helping employers and workers understand those changes. This is not about duplicating what already works. It is about joining up the system.  Where Acas is best placed to provide impartial advice or dispute resolution support, people should be guided there. Where the Fair Work Agency needs to consider compliance or enforcement action, those routes should be clear too.

Good employers are essential partners in this work. They create fair jobs, invest in people and help build trust in the labour market. By supporting compliance and taking action against those who deliberately exploit workers, we can help protect workers. We can also support responsible businesses from being undercut by those who do not meet their obligations.

The relationship between Acas and the Fair Work Agency is still developing, but our shared intent is clear. We want to create a joined-up system where information is easier to find and understand, and compliance with employment law feels simpler.

The Fair Work Agency is at the beginning of its story. By working closely with Acas and partners across the labour market, we have an opportunity to make employment rights easier to understand, easier to comply with and easier to enforce. That is good for workers, good for responsible businesses and good for the wider economy.

Find out more about the Fair Work Agency on GOV.UK 

Contact the Fair Work Agency

For general enquiries you can: 

• email contact@fairworkagency.gov.uk
• call 0345 161 6000

You can report problems with pay and work rights on GOV.UK.

To report serious labour exploitation or suspected modern slavery, call 0800 432 0804. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police.