If you have had a problem at work, that has not been resolved even after you have followed the internal grievance procedures, you may be able to bring a claim to the Employment Tribunal for a variety of claims, depending on the issues that you have been facing. In order to bring a claim, an employee must first go through ACAS Early Conciliation. The ACAS Early Conciliation notification must be made within the strict employment laws’ time limits (below). Find out more about how to notify ACAS.

It is important to note that the main offering of the ACAS Early Conciliation is exactly that, it is a free conciliation/mediation service that supports employees and employers in seeking to resolve and settle a dispute before it even needs to reach the Tribunal.

Bringing a claim through an Employment Tribunal is a time-consuming and expensive procedure for all. This is why ACAS early conciliation is a useful tool to avoid the need for this, where possible. According to ACAS, only 7% of disputes notified to them actually result in an Employment Tribunal hearing, meaning most are settled through Early Conciliation.

We are aware that unfortunately, not all claims settle through ACAS, so if you are not successful, you can then make an application to the Tribunal once you receive what is known as an “ACAS Early conciliation certificate.” The length of time that you will have to bring that claim to the Tribunal will depend on the type of claim you have and when you started and finished the ACAS Early Conciliation process.

Time limits

The main barrier to bringing a claim before an Employment Tribunal is the time limits involved. Typically, this will be three months minus the day from which the problem at work happened. In cases such as discrimination or bullying, for example, this will be the last event or time that you believe you were subjected to this sort of behaviour. In dismissal cases, it will be your last date of employment. You must make a notification to ACAS for Early Conciliation within this primary time limit and then also lodge your claim with the Employment Tribunal within a strict time limit after that, which can be as short as a month.

There is no charge or fee involved in making a claim with the Employment Tribunal, however, legal fees are the respective parties’ responsibilities, and each will need to bear their own costs in most cases. Here at Anthony Gold, our employment solicitors have experience in both bringing and defending a wide variety of cases in the Employment Tribunal and would be happy to assist. Contact us today by calling at 020 7940 3907 or emailing us at emp@anthonygold.co.uk to discuss your case.