When an employer and a group of employees are unable to settle a dispute, Acas’s collective conciliation can help both sides to try to reach an agreement. This can also help lay the groundwork for formal Acas conciliation talks, some of which may escalate into formal industrial action.
We handled over 500 cases last year and successfully settled, or progressed the dispute towards settlement, in 94% of cases. The benefits of using collective conciliation are:
- it’s free
- it’s voluntary
- it’s confidential
- both sides can agree outcomes
As part of the ‘Collective Conciliation’ campaign, ACAS has introduced shareable resources including
- A guidance on Collective Conciliation to help resolve workplace disputes.
- A video where Kate Nowicki – ACAS Director of Dispute Resolution, talks about the collective conciliation services and the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to help employers and trade unions reach an agreement.
- A blog where Kate further breaks down how ACAS is helping to resolve disputes during the current wave of industrial actions.
- A podcast highlighting why employee voice matters, and what good employee voice looks like.
Author: Christine Adeusi – ACAS Communications Support Officer
Photo credit: Mikhail Nilov
