'Times are hard' is the message employers are receiving from the news these days. And there are daily reports of job losses as the economy tightens, with talk of another 'winter of discontent' as pay budgets become less flexible in both the public  More...
21 November 2008 18:15

The long awaited revised Acas Code of Practice for handling disciplinaries and grievances in the workplace has been published. The code has been approved by business secretary Lord Mandelson and will now be put before Parliament for its approv  More...
10 November 2008 13:26

Acas has quashed rumours that it will not receive anywhere near the 'up to £37m' promised by the government to clamp down on unnecessary employment tribunals. The arbitration service announced the three-year funding package earlier this year , desig  More...
10 November 2008 07:30

The government could force employers to take staff complaints to independent mediators as it bids to cut the number of cases going to tribunals. Michael Gibbons, whose 2007 report led to the creation of a new dispute resolution system through the E  More...
03 November 2008 08:41

Public sector union Unison is hoping to secure an end to the long-running local government pay dispute before Christmas. Unions met with local government employers and conciliation body Acas yesterday to agree terms of reference for thrashing out a p  More...
28 October 2008 09:58

Public and civil services look set to be hit by further strike action as civil servants continue to fight against below-inflation pay offers. Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union are up in arms over the government's 2% public sector   More...
17 October 2008 17:52

Hundreds of employees at the conciliation service Acas have staged a one-hour strike over their pay row. More than 600 members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union working in offices across the UK and the Acas helpline stopped work bet  More...
29 September 2008 09:17

Council jobs have been put at risk by a joint union decision to refer the local government pay dispute to arbitration service Acas, a senior figure has warned. Jim Savege, lead on pay for the Public Sector People Managers' Association, insisted tha  More...
26 September 2008 10:54

The council pay dispute that has seen hundreds of thousands of local authority workers strike this summer will go to conciliation service Acas, it has emerged. Up to 600,000 council workers staged a 48-hour walkout in July as part of the long-runn  More...
22 September 2008 10:12

Manufacturers' body the EEF is to tour the UK with conciliation body Acas to help employers understand how the forthcoming dispute resolution system will work. Next April, a more flexible system will replace the current grievance, disciplinary and  More...
22 August 2008 08:45

Staff at Acas have begun voting in a ballot which could see strike action hit the conciliation service. More than 630 members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) working for Acas are being balloted on a walkout or action short of a stri  More...
12 August 2008 07:02

Equal pay has overtaken unfair dismissal for the first time as the most popular grounds for tribunal claims passed to Acas for conciliation. Figures in Acas' annual report revealed the number of equal pay claims received in 2007-08 more than double  More...
31 July 2008 14:02

Conciliation service Acas dealt with 25% more employment tribunal claims last year, its annual report has revealed. Acas was passed 203,184 tribunal claims for conciliation in 2007-08, up from 162,653 the previous year. In addition, it resolv  More...
29 July 2008 08:00

Last-minute talks to avert a potential strike that could result in petrol shortages across the UK are being held. Unions representing 500 oil tanker drivers planning a four-day strike are meeting with employers in efforts to resolve a pay dispute .   More...
11 June 2008 11:01

Two-thirds of employers have never used mediation to settle workplace disputes , research has found. Research by law firm Dundas & Wilson (D&W) found only 36% of HR professionals had used the tactic to tackle conflict at work. This foll  More...
10 June 2008 08:02

A new code of practice on discipline and grievance has been launched for consultation by Acas, the advisory and conciliation service. The new code will ultimately aim to encourage businesses and individuals to resolve disputes internally, saving m  More...
06 May 2008 10:00

Acas has revamped its website with new features for for HR professionals, employers and employees. The advice and conciliation service's new website - which was redesigned following feedback from customers and users - features better navigati  More...
29 April 2008 12:32

Acas risks damaging its long-standing reputation in resolving workplace disputes unless it can quickly settle a row over pay, according to a leading industrial relations specialist. Members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) worki  More...
07 March 2008 08:04

Acas chief Ed Sweeney has insisted the service will rise to the challenge of growing demand from employers when the statutory dispute resolution procedures are scrapped next April. The government last week announced an extra £37m funding for the a  More...
11 February 2008 08:00

Business secretary John Hutton is to clamp down on unnecessary employment tribunals by throwing millions of pounds at conciliation service Acas. The government has today awarded Acas £37m to help prevent workplace disputes unnecessarily going to emp  More...
06 February 2008 10:21