Burnetts Bitesize Bulletin

Coming into force from today, 1^st December 2020 – new rules on Acas Early Conciliation extending the initial conciliation period by two weeks.

Rather than having one month for early conciliation (with a possible extension of a further two weeks) the new rules allow a basic six-week period for early conciliation to take place, the possibility of an agreed extension for a further two weeks is now removed.

Acas, rather like the employment tribunals, is experiencing an increasing backlog in claims: possibly due to restrictions on administrative functions in the wake of COVID-19; possibly due to a general increase in numbers of claims but probably due to a combination of both.

This obviously extends the period within which claimants have to make a claim to the employment tribunal but it also benefits employers, who have suffered from late notification of claims – with some employers not being notified of a claim against them until as late as the third or fourth week of the (previous) conciliation period.

The implementing Regulations are long and by no means an ‘easy read’ but here they are, if you fancy a go:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1003/contents/made

If you require any legal advice and support on this or any other employment matter please contact: Sharon Ridley on 01228 587413 or sr@burnetts.co.uk.