1. * Early Conciliation Alan Hope Acas Scotland Thursday 11 September 2014

2. Early Conciliation The background The rationale

3. Early Conciliation– Main features Obligation to notify Acas of intention to claim Web-based form Use of ECSO’s (Early Conciliation Support Officers)

4. Early Conciliation- Main features Following notification to Acas, the claimant’s limitation period for making a tribunal claim is put on hold. This “stop-the-clock” period allows conciliation to take place without the claimant needing to take legal steps to protect their rights It creates more time to explore settlement than now One calendar month initial period

5. Early Conciliation -Main features Provisions for both early conclusion, and extension, of the limitation pause Engaging with the conciliation process is voluntary If conciliation is unsuccessful we will issue a Certificate and the claimant can make a Tribunal claim Presenting in time remains the responsibility of the Claimant (not Acas) At least one calendar month to present after EC

6. Early Conciliation – Main features Case for life – an EC request is not a separate claim Conciliation can still take place after the limitation pause comes to an end but before a claim is submitted Conciliation offered after an ET1

7. Early Conciliation – Intended impact Bringing settlement forward Aim is to avoid tribunal claims ET1 conciliation aims to avoid tribunal hearings

8. Early Conciliation- The story so far Over 17,000 EC Notifications in first quarter 93% of prospective claimants agree to conciliation 91% of prospective respondents agree to conciliation 16.5% of cases concluded with a COT3 19% of prospective claimants indicated that they would not take further action

9. Submitting the online EC Notification ECSO contact with the prospective claimant Group notification Conciliation discussions Early Conciliation- Practical tips:

10. Acas contact information Acas helpline -0300 123 1100 Acas website – www.acas.org.uk ECSO team- 0300 123 1122