Regulations have been laid before Parliament that will extend the time an employer and employee has to attempt to settle a dispute through Acas before proceeding to the employment tribunal (ET).
The early conciliation period will be extended from the current six weeks to 12 weeks, doubling the amount of time available for Acas to try to help the parties to negotiate a settlement before a claim is made to the ET. Early conciliation “stops the clock” on the time limit for lodging a tribunal claim for one month whilst the conciliator speaks to the parties to explore whether they wish to conciliate.
Prospective claimants are required to notify Acas before they can proceed with most types of claims, although they (and the employer) can decide not to participate in early conciliation if they choose to.
The Employment Tribunals (Early Conciliation: Exemptions and Rules of Procedure) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 come into force on 1 December 2025 and will apply when a prospective claimant has presented an early conciliation form to Acas or notified Acas by telephone on or after 1 December 2025.