Early Acas Conciliation is a compulsory process (unless an exemption applies) before making a Tribunal claim. An overview of the process is set out below.
The key steps of EAC are:
- A prospective Claimant must contact Acas and provide certain information. This can be done on the phone or online by completing the Acas Notification Form.
- There is also a description of the process on the Acas website.
- You will then receive an initial call from Acas and further details will be taken and the process will be explained. If you wish to continue with the process you will be allocated to a conciliator.
- You will then receive a call from the conciliator. The conciliator will ask details about your potential claim and often what you are looking for to settle. With your permission, the conciliator will contact the Respondent (your employer / ex-employer).
- If the conciliator makes contact with the Respondent and it wishes to continue with conciliation then the conciliator will do what they can to promote settlement. If the conciliator cannot contact the Respondent or it indicates that it does not want to participate (it does not have to) then the EAC process will end.
- EAC lasts for 6 weeks from the date it started, but can be ended sooner.
- When EAC ends, Acas will issue and EC Certificate, which will include:
- A unique reference number which must be included on your ET1 (the form used to make a claim at the Tribunal).
- The start and end dates for EAC, which are relevant for time limits.
This is a very general overview Acas Conciliation. You can learn more here.
Disclaimer:
This blog is for information purposes only. Nothing should be relied upon as a substitute for legal advice and nothing written should be construed as legal advice or perceived as creating a lawyer-client relationship.