A new early dispute resolution service, Early Conciliation, must now be used before a claim can be taken to an Employment Tribunal. The new service is provided by Acas and requires anyone thinking of making a claim to first notify the organisation in order to try and resolve the dispute before taking legal action.

The Queen has outlined the Government’s priorities for the coming Parliamentary year, a number of which will have an impact on employment.

More employers should consider using mediation at work to help resolve disputes and avoid potentially costly and stressful employment tribunal claims, according to workplace relations expert Acas.

The Forum of Private Business is calling on the Government to protect small businesses against employees who exploit employment laws to make ‘vexatious claims' against them.