Before issuing tribunal proceedings, potential claimants must first go through the ACAS EC process to try and settle the matter. If not settled, they get a case number which must be inserted into the claim form.
In a helpful decision for employers (giving a stark warning to claimants), the EAT has held that an employment judge made an error in allowing a claimant to amend his ET1 claim form to include the correct early conciliation (EC) number. The inclusion of the incorrect EC number on the ET1 meant that the claim had to be rejected under rule 10 or 12 of the Employment Tribunal Rules of Procedure 2013, with the effect that there was no valid claim that could have been amended.
Employers should check the numbers carefully when they receive a claim form.
E.ON Control Solutions Ltd v Caspall