What is the concept of conciliation?

Asked by: Axel Borer III  |  Last update: July 23, 2025
Score: 4.9/5 (26 votes)

Conciliation is a way to resolve a legal dispute without going to trial. A neutral third party, often a judge, may provide suggestions and develop proposals to help you and the other party come to an agreement. You and the other party may: Seek guidance from the judge.

What is conciliation in simple terms?

Conciliation is a voluntary process in which a professional facilitator assists employers and employees to resolve disputes when their own unassisted efforts have not succeeded. The process can be described as a facilitated search for agreement between disputing parties.

What are the principles of conciliation?

Conciliation proceedings are private and confidential and are conducted on a without prejudice basis. No person may refer to anything said at conciliation proceedings during any subsequent proceedings, unless the parties agree in writing or as ordered otherwise by a court of law.

What is the role and purpose of conciliation?

The conciliation conference is not a public hearing, a court of law or a tribunal. That means parties do not have to prove or disprove the complaint. Instead conciliation allows people to state their point of view, discuss the issues in dispute and settle the matter on their own terms.

What is the mission of the conciliation?

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, created in 1947, is an independent agency whose mission is to preserve and promote labor-management peace and cooperation.

Conciliation | Principles | Advantages | CPC | UNCITRAL | Definition | Role of Conciliator

24 related questions found

What to expect at conciliation?

Generally, the complainant and respondent will then meet together with the conciliator. The conciliator will give both sides the opportunity to talk about the complaint and how they see things. After this meeting, the conciliator will help you talk about ways the complaint may be resolved.

Who facilitates conciliation?

Conciliation processes can look quite different in different contexts, but they usually involve an independent person with expert knowledge (the conciliator) helping the parties to identify and agree on a fair resolution of their dispute. The Conciliator does not decide the outcome of your dispute.

What happens if conciliation fails?

In case of failure of conciliation (FOC) a report is sent to Government (IR Desks in Ministry of Labour). The Ministry of Labour after considering the FOC Report exercises the powers available to it under Section 10 of the Industrial Disputes Act and either refers the dispute for adjudication or refuses to do so.

Is a conciliation agreement binding?

There are things you can do to help with getting an agreement through early conciliation. Any agreement you reach will be legally binding and will mean you do not have to go to an employment tribunal.

What are the disadvantages of conciliation?

The disadvantages of conciliation are:
  • It relies on both parties to accept the conciliator's decision.
  • It could be considered as too informal and not taken seriously.
  • The conciliation process isn't legally binding.

What is the next step after conciliation?

If the dispute is resolved, a commissioner has a duty to assist the parties to draft an enforceable agreement that brings the dispute to finality. The commissioner issues a certificate recording the outcome of the dispute. A signed settlement agreement is binding on the parties.

What are the outcomes of conciliation?

Conciliation is a way to resolve a legal dispute without going to trial. A neutral third party, often a judge, may provide suggestions and develop proposals to help you and the other party come to an agreement. You and the other party may: Seek guidance from the judge.

What happens if the employee does not attend conciliation?

If a party fails to attend or to be represented at conciliation, the commissioner will decide whether to a) continue with the conciliation b) adjourn the conciliation to a later date within the 30-day period; or c) conclude the conciliation by issuing a certificate.

What are the objectives of conciliation?

The basic aim is there should be settlement between the parties & no party should feel as aggrieved instead of lost & win situation, there should be won - won situation for both Parties. Confidence, trust & Faith are the essential ingredients of conciliation.

What are the benefits of conciliation?

Conciliation is more advantageous as a faster way to resolve a commercial dispute than through court proceedings. Also, preventing litigation reduces costs associated with dispute resolution as it is cheaper than commercial litigation.

What are the ethics of conciliation?

They shall act clearly in their relationship with the participants, they shall be honest and impartial, promote trust of the parties, act in good faith, be diligent and not seek their own interests, nor have interest in the agreement of the parties.

What to expect from conciliation?

A conciliation is an informal meeting between you, your attorney, the insurer's attorney, and a conciliator from the DIA. The conciliator will try to help the parties reach an agreement. If an agreement can't be reached, the claim is referred to an administrative judge for the next step — a conference.

Can conciliation proceedings be terminated?

A conciliation may terminate with the issuance of the Report by the Commission (Additional Facility Conciliation Rules 43 to 45) or with a discontinuance order issued prior to the Commission's constitution (Additional Facility Conciliation Rule 42).

What are the rules of conciliation?

(1) Conciliation proceedings are private and confidential and are conducted on a without prejudice basis. No person may refer to anything said at conciliation proceedings during any subsequent proceedings, unless the parties agree in writing or as ordered otherwise by a court of law.

How long does conciliation last?

If you start early conciliation before the deadline, you'll have at least 1 month after it ends to make your claim to a tribunal. Sometimes, you'll have more than 1 month because starting early conciliation extends the deadline for making a claim. Early conciliation lasts up to 6 weeks.

What happens if one party does not show up for mediation?

The party who skipped mediation may be held in contempt of court for violating a court order. Sanctions for violating a court order can include community service, fines, paying for the attorney fees of the other party, and even jail time. The party who skipped may have to pay for all of the mediator's fees.

What can you do if you are not satisfied with the outcome of conciliation?

A conciliation settlement agreement is final and binding on both parties. If either party does not uphold the terms of the agreement, an application can be made to the Labour Court for the settlement agreement to be made an order of the court.

Who must a conciliation agreement protect?

The conciliation agreement shall seek to protect the interests of the aggrieved person, other persons similarly situated, and the public interest.

What to expect at a conciliation hearing?

WHAT HAPPENS AT THE HEARING? The conciliator is there to assist the parties and will decide the best and correct approach to follow in conciliating the dispute. The conciliator may start the process by meeting jointly with the parties and asking them to share information about the dispute.

Is conciliation confidential?

Conciliation is a 'confidential' process in that the President will not consider information about what is said or done in conciliation if the complaint does not resolve and the President is required to make a decision about the complaint. This allows both sides to have an open and frank discussion.