Early Conciliation Successful in 16.5% of Cases

Early Conciliation figures released by Acas reveal that agreement was reached in 16.5% of cases.

The figures, covering the period from 6 April to 30 June 2014, indicate that:

• Of the 17,145 early conciliation notifications, 16,605 were made by employees and just over 3% (540) by employers;
• The offer of early conciliation was rejected by slightly more employers than employees (9% and 7% respectively);
• Agreement was reached in 16.5% of cases and a further 19% of employees told Acas they were not proposing to take the matter further;
• About 1,000 people contacted Acas each week during April when early conciliation was voluntary; and
• About 1,600 people contacted Acas each week during May and June when early conciliation was compulsory.

Acas also plans to survey Early Conciliation users to gain feedback and support continuous improvement but surveys will not be carried out until the service has been in place for sufficient time to provide a reliable picture.