Labour plans to allow businesses to keep employees on probation for up to nine months, softening its initial stance on worker protections after pressure from business groups. This is part of a broader employment reform aimed at granting workers more rights from day one, including protection from unfair dismissal and parental leave. However, the extended probation period will allow companies to dismiss new hires more easily. Unions are likely to push back, arguing it undermines Labour’s promise of "full rights from day one," but Labour maintains it is balancing business and worker needs.