JACS was established by the former Employment and Social Security Committee as part of its employment legislation programme. It is an independent and impartial service created to assist employers, employees, trade unions and employer associations work with one another effectively. The JACS Law 2003 can be accessed here.
JACS is closely modelled upon the UK's Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service and is a statutory body under an Act of the States of Jersey.
In officially opening the service on April 5th 2001 the Bailiff, Sir Philip Bailhache, commented that not only will the Island see the introduction of new employment legislation that will affect both employers and employees but also the face of business is changing. There is a shift away from old-style adversarial approaches and a genuine recognition that sometimes outside intervention can bring a fresh approach to management practices making problems easier to resolve.
"To assist in the building of harmonious relationships between employers and employees, both collectively and individually and thereby help improve the performance and effectiveness of organisations".
It is widely recognised that disputes between employers and employees are wasteful of time, resources, and severely impact upon both profitability and morale. In addition to its role as a conciliator/mediator in individual or collective disputes, JACS is active in terms of education and training, ensuring that employers, employees and employees' representatives have every opportunity to fully understand their responsibilities and obligations under the legislative framework that has been put in place by the States of Jersey.
In line with best practice, JACS is also active in the area of advisory mediation, working with local employer and employee representatives, in order to assist both parties to develop a new, more productive relationship.
If necessary, JACS can arrange for an independent arbitrator should the parties to a dispute be unable to resolve their differences through negotiation, conciliation or mediation.