Rise in demand for early intervention in workplace disputes

More employers and employees are accessing help earlier to avoid employment tribunals according to figures released by workplace experts Acas.

The latest annual report figures highlight that demand for Acas' early dispute resolution service, Pre-Claim Conciliation (PCC), rose by a third (34%) in 2011/12 meaning that Acas dealt with 23,777 cases, 6000 more cases than the previous year. This has resulted in thousands of people avoiding the need to go to an employment tribunal.

Pre-Claim Conciliation was launched in April 2009 and aims to resolve workplace problems before they result in a costly and stressful employment tribunal claim.

Acas is successfully settling more claims year on year through PCC. This year's figures highlight that the number of cases that don't go on to become an employment tribunal claim increased to 78% from 74% last year. Unfair Dismissal is the most common problem handled through PCC, followed by claims about wages, breach of contract, holiday and disability discrimination.