The 'Employment Tribunals (Early Conciliation: Exemptions and Rules of Procedure) Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/254)' have been amended.
Thus far, the time for the early conciliation period (“EC”) has been one month with an extension allowed of another two weeks, if both parties agree.
From 1 December 2020, the EC period has changed so that it will automatically be six weeks and there will not be an option to extend this irrespective of what either party wants.
This should not have a significant impact in the way employers deal with EC, but the purpose of the change is to allow parties the ability to have a longer period in which to (hopefully) come to an agreement before the matter proceeds to the Employment Tribunal.
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Author: Rafia Ahmad
Senior Solicitor, ESP Law Ltd
Rafia trained and qualified with Wedlake Bell LLP, a London City law firm where she was an employment solicitor for six years before moving to the fast paced trading floor of Cantor Fitzgerald LLP, a London based New York prime brokerage/investment bank as in-house employment counsel. Prior to joining ESP, Rafia was a senior employment solicitor for five years with Backhouse Jones, the UK’s number one national road transport law firm. She advises on all employment matters both contentious and non-contentious including tribunal proceedings.