What is conciliation?
A meeting has been set to try to settle your dismissal claim.
Conciliation is the meeting stage a dismissal claim passes through before it reaches the Industrial Court.
What does conciliation mean?
Once your Section 20 representation is filed, an officer from the Industrial Relations Department (JPPM) arranges conciliation. You and your employer sit down to see if the dispute can be settled.
The officer does not decide who is right. Their job is to help both sides find common ground, or to confirm that no agreement is possible.
Why does it matter to you?
Solicitors are not permitted to represent either party inside the meeting. You and your employer’s representative speak directly to the officer, without a lawyer in the room.1
That makes preparation beforehand more important than usual. The meeting may be your first real conversation with your employer since the dismissal.
What happens in the room?
Expect a short, informal setting, not a courtroom. The officer asks each side what happened and what outcome they want, then looks for room to compromise.
If the two sides cannot agree, your case does not stall. It is referred directly to the Industrial Court, with no separate ministerial screening step first.2
Bring your dismissal letter, contract and a short written timeline. A clear account of dates matters more in the room than a long explanation.
If you want a lawyer to prepare you for conciliation, an independent employment lawyer can review your facts. They can act if the claim continues.
If you want a lawyer to handle your conciliation, an independent employment lawyer can assess your facts. They can tell you how they would act on it.
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.
First contact: general facts only, such as date, location, employment status and a short summary. Keep documents private until an identified independent lawyer contacts you and specifically requests them.
Common questions
Is conciliation the same as a court hearing?
No. It is a private meeting run by an officer to help both sides settle, not a hearing where evidence is formally tested. Nothing is decided against you there, only agreed or not agreed.
What if I do not like the settlement offer?
You can decline it. If no agreement is reached, your case is simply referred onward to the Industrial Court rather than being closed against you.
Sources
- At conciliation before the Industrial Relations Department, solicitors are not permitted to represent either party inside the meeting itself. Mah Weng Kwai & Associates, Unfair Dismissal
- Since the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2020 came into force on 1 January 2021, the Director General refers a case that does not settle at conciliation directly to the Industrial Court. MECA, Industrial Relations Act 1967 Guide
Keep reading
If you want a lawyer to handle your conciliation, an independent employment lawyer can assess your facts. They can tell you how they would act on it.
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.
First contact: general facts only, such as date, location, employment status and a short summary. Keep documents private until an identified independent lawyer contacts you and specifically requests them.