The Employment Relations Minister, Edward Davey, has announced a pilot scheme for regional mediation networks for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will fund mediation training for employees from a group of 24 SMEs to form pilot regional mediation networks in Cambridge and Manchester later this year. The trained mediators will then provide mediation to other organisations in their respective network. The Government hopes that this will help resolve workplace disputes before they reach an employment tribunal.
The intention to pilot two regional mediation networks was published in the Government response to the Resolving Workplace Disputes consultation. The pilot will target SMEs as responses to the consultation suggested that SMEs are often not aware of the potential benefits of mediation. The pilots will run for 12 months and, if successful, the Government will consider introducing them into other areas of England, Scotland and Wales.
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