Employment Act (Northern Ireland) 2016

Conciliation before and after complaint to Fair Employment Tribunal N.I.

5—(1) The Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 is amended as follows.

(2) After Article 88 insert—

“Requirement to contact Labour Relations Agency before complaint to Tribunal

88ZA— (1) Subject to paragraph (7), before a person (“the prospective complainant”) presents a complaint to the Tribunal under Article 38 relating to any matter, the prospective complainant must provide to the Agency prescribed information, in the prescribed manner, about that matter.

(2) On receiving the prescribed information in the prescribed manner, the Agency shall send a copy of it to a conciliation officer.

(3) The conciliation officer shall, during the prescribed period, endeavour to promote a settlement between the persons who would be the complainant and the respondent if a complaint were presented to the Tribunal under Article 38.

(4) If—

(a) during the prescribed period the conciliation officer concludes that a settlement is not possible, or

(b) the prescribed period expires without a settlement having been reached,

the conciliation officer shall issue a certificate to that effect, in the prescribed manner, to the prospective complainant.

(5) The conciliation officer may continue to endeavour to promote a settlement after the expiry of the prescribed period.

(6) In paragraphs (3) to (5) “settlement” means a settlement that avoids a complaint being presented to the Tribunal under Article 38.

(7) A person may present a complaint to the Tribunal under Article 38 without complying with the requirement in paragraph (1) in prescribed cases.

The cases that may be prescribed include (in particular)—

(a) cases where the requirement is complied with by another person presenting a complaint to the Tribunal under Article 38 relating to the same matter;

(b) cases where prescribed proceedings are instituted by means of the same form as the complaint;

(c) cases where Article 88ZB applies because the Agency has been contacted by a person who is the respondent on a complaint presented to the Tribunal under Article 38.

(8) A person who is subject to the requirement in paragraph (1) may not present a complaint to the Tribunal under Article 38 without a certificate under paragraph (4).

(9) In paragraphs (1) to (7) “prescribed” means prescribed in regulations under Article 84.

(10) Regulations under Article 84 may make such further provision as appears to the Department to be necessary or expedient with respect to the conciliation process provided for by paragraphs (1) to (8).

(11) Regulations under Article 84 may (in particular) make provision—

(a) authorising the Department to prescribe, or prescribe requirements in relation to, any form which is required by such regulations to be used for the purpose of providing information to the Agency under paragraph (1) or issuing a certificate under paragraph (4);

(b) requiring the Agency to give a person any necessary assistance to comply with the requirement in paragraph (1);

(c) for the extension of the period prescribed for the purposes of paragraph (3);

(d) treating the requirement in paragraph (1) as complied with, for the purposes of any provision extending the time limit for presenting a complaint to the Tribunal under Article 38, by a person who is relieved of that requirement by virtue of paragraph (7)(a).

Conciliation before complaint to Tribunal: other Labour Relations Agency duties

88ZB— (1) This Article applies where—

(a) a person contacts the Agency requesting the services of a conciliation officer in relation to a matter that (if not settled) is likely to give rise to a complaint being presented to the Tribunal under Article 38 against that person, and

(b) the Agency has not received information from the prospective complainant under Article 88ZA(1).

(2) This Article also applies where—

(a) a person contacts the Agency requesting the services of a conciliation officer in relation to a matter that (if not settled) is likely to give rise to a complaint being presented to the Tribunal under Article 38 by that person, and

(b) the requirement in Article 88ZA(1) would apply to that person but for Article 88ZA(7).

(3) Where this Article applies a conciliation officer shall endeavour to promote a settlement between the persons who would be the complainant and the respondent if a complaint were presented to the Tribunal under Article 38.

(4) If at any time—

(a) the conciliation officer concludes that a settlement is not possible, or

(b) a conciliation officer comes under the duty in Article 88ZA(3) to promote a settlement between the persons who would be the complainant and the respondent,

the duty in paragraph (3) ceases to apply at that time.

(5) In paragraphs (3) and (4) “settlement” means a settlement that avoids a complaint being presented to the Tribunal under Article 38.

Conciliation after complaint presented

88ZC   Where a complaint has been presented to the Tribunal under Article 38, the Tribunal shall send a copy of the complaint to the Agency and it shall be the duty of the Agency—

(a) if it is requested to do so by both the complainant and the respondent; or

(b) if, in the absence of any such request, the Agency considers that it could act under this Article with a reasonable prospect of success,

to endeavour to promote a settlement of the complaint without its being determined by the Tribunal.”.

(3) In consequence of subsection (2)—

(a) in Article 84 (tribunal procedure), in paragraph (2A)(b), after “form” insert “ (including certificates issued under Article 88ZA or 88ZB) ”;

(b) in Article 88 (conciliation)—

(i) omit paragraphs (1) and (2);

(ii) in paragraph (3), for “paragraph (1) or (2)” substitute “ any of Articles 88ZA to 88ZC ”;

(iii) in paragraph (4), after “this Article” insert “ or any of Articles 88ZA to 88ZC ”;

(c) in Article 88A (conciliation: recovery of sums payable under compromises), in paragraph (1)(a)(i), for “Article 88” substitute “ any of Articles 88ZA to 88ZC ”;

(d) in Article 100 (restrictions on contracting out), in paragraph (2)(a), for “Article 88(1) or (2)” substitute “ any of Articles 88ZA to 88ZC ”.

Commencement Information

I1 S. 5 in operation at 27.1.2020 by S.R. 2020/1, art. 2(d)