How does collective conciliation differ from arbitration?
Voluntary arbitration provides a method of settling disputes between employers and trade unions by inviting one or more impartial persons to make an award which the disputing parties agree to accept in advance. Whilst awards from voluntary arbitration are not legally binding, they are nevertheless regarded as ‘morally binding’ and the arrangements for arbitration are made only on the clear understanding that the awards will be honoured by the parties. Arbitrators are not employed by Acas but are drawn from a panel of people trained and approved by the organisation. Is there a charge for arbitration? No charge is made for collective arbitration. The parties are responsible for their own costs. What evidence is there that conciliation works? An independent study by Ipsos Mori and published by Acas research and evaluation section in 2008 evaluated customers’ views of the benefits of collective conciliation. Among other things, those using the service said Acas was trustworthy, impartial a
