On 1 October, the Employment Act 2002 (Dispute Resolution) Regulations came into force. The regulations introduce changes that will affect the way all employers should deal with grievances, dismissals and certain disciplinary issues. Their principal objective is to resolve employment disputes at source, by placing obligations on employers and employees alike to follow certain basic procedures whenever major decisions are contemplated in relation to an employee’s continued employment. The new rules seek to ensure that the parties to a dispute have a full opportunity to resolve their dispute before resorting to costly and time consuming litigation.
The Government’s ultimate aim is to reduce the volume of employment claims brought before the employment tribunals system each year; a system which for some time now has been close to breaking point.
