As our readers are already aware, from 6 May 2014, anyone thinking of making an Employment Tribunal claim must contact Acas first. Acas will then try and resolve the dispute quickly without the need for legal action through its new free Pre-claim Early Conciliation service. However, under transitional provisions, the service was launched on 6 April 2014 and Acas has published the results of the first four weeks of operation:

•  Around 1000 people have contacted Acas about Early Conciliation every week since its   launch.
•  98% of those who contacted Acas about Early Conciliation have decided to try the service.
•  Even though there is an initial one month period for settling a claim, Acas' first Early   Conciliation case was settled within 24 hours.
•  100 employers have contacted Acas to try Early Conciliation.

Content Note

The aim is to provide summary information and comment on the subject areas covered. In particular, where employment tribunal and appellate court cases are reported, the information does not set out full details of all the facts, the legal arguments presented by the parties and the judgments made in every aspect of the case. Click on the links provided to access full details. If no link is provided contact us for further information. Employment law is subject to constant change either by statute or by interpretation by the courts. While every care has been taken in compiling this information, SM&B cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Specialist legal advice must be taken on any legal issues that may arise before embarking upon any formal course of action.