New Tribunal Rules for Early Resolution

New laws, which came into effect earlier this month, now require anyone thinking of bringing an Employment Tribunal claim to first notify Acas through its Early Conciliation service.

Early Conciliation, introduced through new Regulations, will have to be followed by any body involved in a workplace dispute which may lead to an employment tribunal, such as:

• workplace discrimination, including race, gender or age discrimination
• unfair dismissal
• holiday pay or unpaid notice deductions from wages
• flexible working or rights to time off
• equal pay, or
• redundancy payments or selection procedures

The primary aim of the new legislation is to improve the efficiency of the UK's employment dispute resolution system by reducing the costs to employees and employers of going to an Employment Tribunal. Previously, an employee had a number of options when seeking to resolve a workplace dispute, including mediation and external advice. Now, however, Early Conciliation requires all prospective Tribunal claimants to first submit the details of their claim to Acas.

If parties are unable to reach an agreed settlement under the new procedure, any claim taken to an Employment Tribunal will have to include an Acas Early Conciliation Reference Number for it to be heard. There are some limited exceptions when the new service won't have to be followed. Contact our specialist lawyers in Glasgow to see whether you are required to make an Early Conciliation notification.

Contact our Employment Lawyers in Glasgow

If you would like to find out more about our specialist employment law services call us today on 0141 811 0224 or fill out our online enquiry form.