Today sees the Acas Early Conciliation period (the EC period) extended from 6 weeks to 12 weeks.
During the EC period Acas has a duty to promote settlement once a claim has been notified to it. If no settlement is achieved within the EC period Acas will issue an EC certificate bringing the conciliation process to an end. The EC period is being increased to ease pressure on Acas following a rise in demand for early conciliation, itself a statutory requirement before any claims may be submitted to an Employment Tribunal. This is most likely a pre-emptive measure owing to both the significant backlog of existing claims and the widely anticipated increase in workplace disputes once the Employment Rights Bill is implemented . The EC period will be reviewed once more in October 2026 to determine if the 12-week period requires extending further. Watch this space…
We will be running a number of seminars across our offices to provide legal and practical insights on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill. If you would like further details of these and other HR and employment related events then contact Chris Piggott, Employment Partner at chris.piggott@mfgsolicitors.com or carla.griffin@mfgsolicitors.com
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