What should I do if I am fired or owed wages in the UK? Acas Mediation and Arbitration Process

Last week, a reader sent a message saying that he had been working for a company in London for more than a year, but his boss told him not to come the next day because of "business adjustments." He was not given one month's notice pay, and his salary was deducted for two weeks. His first reaction was: Forget it, I’m still on the work permit and I don’t want to get into trouble.

This is the instinctive reaction of many Chinese in the UK. However, the UK has a mechanism for handling labor disputes that is free of charge and can be activated without the need for a lawyer. If you give up on it, you will lose real money.

The first step in UK work contract disputes: send a written complaint first

Don’t rush to the tribunal. The formal approach is to first go through the company's internal grievance process, even if it's just an email to HR or the boss, clearly stating three things: what happened, what point in the contract or law you think was violated, and what result you want (repayment of salary/reinstatement/written apology).

Why is this email important? Because the Acas Code of Practice stipulates that if the employer fails to go through the grievance and disciplinary procedures without reason, the arbitral tribunal has the power to increase the final compensation by up to 25%; conversely, if the employee fails to cooperate at all, the compensation may also be reduced by up to 25%. One email can make the difference of thousands of pounds.

📌 Keep paper evidence throughout the process: contract, schedule, payslip, WeChat/WhatsApp records, and email on the day of dismissal. Oral promises carry little weight before an arbitral tribunal.

UK labor arbitration time limit: extended from 3 months to 6 months from October 2026

This is the easiest trap to fall into - if is overdue, it means giving up, and the arbitration tribunal will basically not accept it.

The current rule is "three months minus one day", starting from the date of the incident (usually the last working day, or the day when that salary would have been paid). According to the supporting regulations of the "Employment Rights Act 2025", starting from October 1, 2026, the time limit for most labor arbitration applications will be extended to 6 months; but the transitional rule is critical: only when dismissal, salary deduction, etc. occur on or after October 1, the 6 months will apply. Those who were dismissed in August this year will still be counted as three months.

Another reminder: unfair dismissal still requires 2 years of service, which will be reduced to 6 months on January 1, 2027 according to the current effective arrangement. However, ’s pursuit of back wages, unpaid notice pay, and untaken annual leave is a claim for salary deduction or breach of contract, and does not require any seniority threshold —it can be claimed on the first day of work.

How to get free mediation with Acas? What is COT3

In the UK, if you want to go to an arbitral tribunal, you must first submit an Early Conciliation notice to Acas. This is a mandatory preliminary step and is completely free of charge.

The process is simple: you fill out a form online, and Acas sends a neutral mediator to call you and the employer to negotiate the price. Effective December 1, 2025, the mediation window will be extended from 6 weeks to to a maximum of 12 weeks - this time limit "pauses the clock" and will not eat up your application period.

After the negotiation is completed, the mediator will issue a COT3: a legally binding settlement agreement. After signing the money, the process will be completed without going to court or attorney fees. If the negotiation fails, Acas will issue you an EC certificate (mediation certificate). After receiving it, you will have at least one month to submit an arbitration application.

Many disputes are stuck in "I don't know how much I can ask for." If you want to let a professional judge the scope of the claim and the range of the amount before talking, justiscript.com pays £5 and allows a licensed lawyer in the UK to provide a written response to a specific question within 24 hours, in both Chinese and English, which is much more reliable than guessing on the forum yourself.

Formal arbitration: Is the UK Employment Tribunal free?

free. After the Supreme Court ruled to cancel the fees in 2017, the government reconfirmed in October 2025 that submitted an application to the Labor Arbitration Tribunal not to charge . There are currently no arrangements to resume fees.

What you have to do is fill in ET1 form on GOV.UK with the mediation certificate number Acas gave you. Common items that can be claimed: unpaid wages, unpaid notice pay, discounted untaken annual leave, lower than the minimum wage (from April 2026, £12.71 per hour for those aged 21 and over), discrimination (race, gender, religion, etc. - this item has no seniority threshold and no upper limit on compensation).

Fired from work permit status: 60-day countdown and rights protection are not in conflict

This is the most confusing place for Chinese people. The fact is: the employer must report your resignation to the Ministry of Home Affairs through the SMS system within 10 working days, after which the Ministry of Home Affairs will issue a curtailment (shortened visa) notice. 60 days will be counted from the date on the notification letter, not from the day you last worked, and it will not exceed the original visa expiry date.

The main point is: finding a new sponsor and appealing to Acas are two parallel lines and can be done at the same time. Advocacy itself will not be a stain on your visa application. The real killer is the delay - 60 days to find a job, 3 months (6 months after October) to file for arbitration, both clocks running at the same time.

⏱️ Three things you should do on the day you leave: take screenshots and save all work records, send a written appeal email to the company, and mark the deadline on your calendar.
This article is for reference only. Please consult a licensed attorney for specific questions.

💬 Have you ever encountered unpaid wages, being dismissed without reason, or being denied a contract while working in the UK? Did you negotiate it yourself in the end, or did you go to Acas? Tell us how you handled it in the comment section . Your experience may just help people who are still hesitating.

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[Data source] GOV.UK "Make a claim to an employment tribunal"; Acas "Employment Rights Act 2025"; GOV.UK announcement on the increase in the minimum wage from April 2026. For details, please refer to the latest announcement of GOV.UK.

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