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Acas (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) is a publicly-funded independent organisation which promotes good employment relations and assists employers and employees in preventing or resolving employment Disputes. Its services include conciliation, mediation and arbitration.

Acas conciliation involves an independent Acas Conciliation officer (also known as a conciliator) discussing the issues in dispute with both parties in order to help them reach a better understanding of each other's position. The conciliation officer tries to encourage the parties in dispute to come to an agreement between themselves so as to avoid the need for a tribunal hearing.

An agreement reached following conciliation under the auspices of an Acas conciliation officer (known as a COT3 agreement) is one of the two exceptions to the 'contracting out provisions' which apply to most employment protection legislation, which impose a basic rule that any provision in an agreement that purports to prevent a person from making, or proceeding with, a claim to an employment tribunal is void to that extent. The purpose of the contracting out provisions is to protect claimants (or potential claimants)