ACAS (Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service) is set up by act of Parliament. It's an independent and impartial body with the duty of promoting and improving industrial relations (and has been around since the mid 1970s).

ACAS provides a wide range of services including conciliation - ie ACAS can intervene in an industrial dispute at the request of one more parties with a view to bringing about a settlement through collective bargaining. It's conciliation service is free to both employers and unions.

The BBC's collective disputes procedure allows for a joint referral to ACAS. The BBC only goes to ACAS for non-binding conciliation. In its conciliation work, ACAS follows the long-established practice of encouraging the parties in a dispute to use their own agreed procedures where they exist.

The BBC last went to ACAS over a major dispute in 1998 (we were there for some days) over the incorporation of Resources Ltd, multiskilling and salary progression.

ACAS is a recognised mechanism for trying to solve collective disputes and is well respected by both employers and unions.