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 approval, until which time it will remain a draft.
The code is due to come into effect on 6 April 2009 and replaces the much disparaged statutory dispute resolution regulations, scrapped by the government last year.
The Gibbons Review found that the 2004 dispute resolution regulations were unpopular with both employers and trade unions, and had led to an increase in formal conflicts.
In revising the code, Acas held a public consultation in May 2008. It received more than 170 responses from a wide variety of organisations and individuals which informed the revision process.
