ACAS Early Conciliation

Acas are the employment relations experts and a trusted source of advice for employers, employees, Government and others.

The Government has introduced several new changes in employment law in 2017. Brief details of these changes are listed below. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) runs a scheme to try to resolve a dispute before it goes to an employment tribunal. This process is free and confidential and is called early conciliation. You must contact Acas to tell them that you intend to bring a claim before you can present a claim to an employment tribunal. This does not mean that you have to take part in conciliation. You only have to notify Acas of your potential claim.

Which disputes does early conciliation apply to?

Early conciliation applies to most employment disputes, including claims for:

• unfair dismissal
• workplace discrimination
• redundancy payments or disputes over selection procedures
• deductions from wages or unpaid notice or holiday pay
• rights to time off or flexible working
• equal pay

These are: 

Statutory payments - April 2017