Employment Bill will give boost to dispute resolution say manufacturers

In particular, EEF welcomes the government’s decision to implement the proposals of the Gibbons Review by abolishing the dispute resolution legislation. As one of the UK’s leading organisations in the field of employment affairs, EEF had predicted the original regulations would prove too complicated a tool for ensuring that disputes in the workplace were dealt with efficiently and proportionately.

However, EEF is urging the government to ensure that the forthcoming ACAS code, which the parties will in future need to follow or risk a penalty, is not a lengthy treatise on best practice for employers but a short statement of basic principles for resolving disputes.

Commenting, Peter Schofield, EEF's Director of Employment and Legal Affairs and a member of the DTI’s Employment Law Simplification Panel, said:

“Government should be applauded for recognising that, if the current legislation isn't working, it makes sense to try another approach, especially as the original legislation created more problems than it solved. However, it is now essential that the new ACAS code is short, clear and not too complex for small and medium employers to apply.”

ENDS