From 6 April Pre-Claim Conciliation (PCC) became Early Conciliation and anyone thinking of making an Employment Tribunal claim needs to notify Acas first. Acas will then try and resolve the dispute quickly without the need for legal action.

Acas Chairman, Sir Brendan Barber said, “Early Conciliation will give us the chance to help even more people resolve their disputes early as well as save taxpayers some of the cost of running the tribunal system.  We know from previous independent research that PCC saves employers on average £3,200 in management time and legal costs compared with dealing with an employment tribunal case.”

Employment Relations Minister, Jenny Willott said, "Early Conciliation is good news for employees and employers. It will help them resolve their workplace disputes, avoiding the stress, time delays and excessive costs all too often associated with tribunals. Under our new free scheme anyone considering lodging a claim with an employment tribunal will now contact Acas before they submit their claim. If both parties agree, Acas will attempt to resolve the dispute for free to see if a tribunal can be avoided."

If Early Conciliation does not resolve the dispute, the claimant will still be able to lodge a tribunal claim.