Survey of Representatives, 1998

As part of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 1998 Survey of Employment Tribunal Applications (SETA98 - held at the UK Data Archive under SN: 4894), a supplementary 'spin-out' survey of professional advisors/representatives was undertaken, thereby providing an opportunity to consider first-hand the views of practitioners. Key issues in the Survey of Representatives (SOR98) were:<br><li>to examine the role of these external advisors;<br><li>their influence on the outcome of the case;<br><li>and their relationship with Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) conciliators.</li><br><br>SOR98 was a supplementary component of the main SETA98 study. The survey was administered (by computer assisted telephone interviewing) in cases where the main jurisdiction was either unfair dismissal, breach of contract, or Wages Act, and where the main survey participant either took advice or used external representation and also gave permission for their representative to be approached. Both the main survey and SOR98 were conducted by Social and Community Planning Research (SCPR – now the National Centre for Social Research). Sampling resulted in 452 productive interviews, 305 with applicant representatives and 147 with employer representatives (constituting a response rate of 70 per cent of cases deemed eligible).<br><br>Representatives were found to be influential in determining case outcomes through their role in advising clients on case merits and courses of action. The data provide evidence of the efforts made by ACAS conciliation officers to promote settlement, and their skill in remaining impartial and securing the trust of representatives. High levels of satisfaction were reported both with the Employment Tribunal system and its agents or agencies.<br>