GENERAL:

ADR = alternative dispute resolution;
AGM = Annual General Meeting (in the context of companies, the meeting is of shareholders);

BC = Borough Council;

CAA = Civil Aviation Authority;
CC = County Council;
CML= Compulsory Maternity Leave;
CoP = Code of Practice;
COT3 = the form on which an ACAS conditional settlement is recorded;
CPI = Consumer Prices Index;
CVA = company voluntary arrangement for insolvency;

edt = effective date of termination;
ETO reason = an economic, technical or organisational reason for a change under TUPE 2006 (formerly, TUPE 1981);
ewc = estimated week of childbirth (formerly "estimated week of confinement");

FT = The "Financial Times";

KIT days = "keeping in touch" days (for employees on Maternity Leave);

LEL = lower earnings limit for National Insurance contributions;
LLP = Limited Liability Partnership;

MSF = Managerial, Scientific and Finance Union (now Unite the union);

NASUWT = National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers;
NICs = National Insurance contributions;
NUM = National Union of Mineworkers;
NVQ = National Vocational Qualification;

PAYE = "pay as you earn" method of tax deduction;
PCC = Pre-Claim Conciliation Service (offered by ACAS since April 2009);
PEA = pre-existing arrangement for consulting employees;
PLC = public limited company;
POCA list = list of persons prohibited by the Protection of Children Act 1999 from working with children;
POVA list = list of persons prohibited from working with vulnerable adults;

qv = quod vide ("which see");

RPI = Retail Prices Index;

SAP = Statutory Adoption Pay;
SI = Statutory Instrument;
SMP = Statutory Maternity Pay;
SOSR = "some other substantial reason" (for a dismissal);
SPP = Statutory Paternity Pay;
SSP = Statutory Sick Pay;

TGWU = Transport and General Workers' Union (now Unite the union);

VAT = Value Added Tax;

wef = with effect from;

COURTS:

CA = Court of Appeal;
ChD = Chancery Division of the High Court;
Comm Ct = Commercial Court;
CJEU = Court of Justice of the European Union (formerly, to 1st December 2009, "ECJ" and, briefly, "CJEC" (Court of Justice of the European Communities - see Treaty of Lisbon);
CS = Court of Session (Scots);

EAT = Employment Appeal Tribunal;
ECHR = European Court of Human Rights;
ECtHR = European Court of Human Rights;
ECJ = European Court of Justice (now CJEU);
EFTA Court = the European Free Trade Association Court;
ET = Employment Tribunal (formerly, to 1st August 1998, "Industrial Tribunal - see ERDRA 1998 s.1);

HL = House of Lords (now superseded by SC); NIRC = National Industrial Relations Court;

PC = Privy Council;

QBD = Queen's Bench Division of the High Court;

SC = Supreme Court;

TCC = Technology and Construction Court;

LAW REPORTS AND "NEUTRAL" CITATIONS:

AC = Appeal Cases;
All ER = All England Law Reports;

BAILLI = British and Irish Legal Information Institute (website);

ChD/QBD = Law Reports, Chancery or Queen's Bench Division;
CMLR = Common Market Law Reports;

ECR = European Court Reports;
EWCA = "neutral" citation for cases from the England and Wales Court of Appeal (citations including "Civ" are from the Civil Division; citations including "Crim" are from the Criminal Division;
EWHC = "neutral" citation for cases from the England and Wales High Court;

ICR = Industrial Cases Reports
IRLR = Industrial Relations Law Reports;

PLR = Pensions Law Reports;

RPC = Reports of Patent Cases;

TLR = Times Law Reports;

UKFTT = "neutral" citation for UK First-Tier Tribunal;
UKHL = "neutral" citation for cases from the House of Lords;
UKSC = "neutral" citation for cases from the Supreme Court;

WLR = Weekly Law Reports;

ACTS AND STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS:

AFA 1996 = Armed Forces Act 1996;

C&YPA 1963 = Children and Young Persons Act 1963;
CA 1985 = Companies Act 1985;
CA 2006 = Companies Act 2002;
CPR = Civil Procedure Rules 1998;

DDA 1995 = Disability Discrimination Act 1995;
DPA 1998 = Data Protection Act 1998;

EPA = Employment Protection Act 1975;
EPCA = Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978;
Eq PA 1970 = Equal Pay Act 1970;
ERA 1996 = Employment Rights Act 1996;
ERDRA 1998 = Employment Rights (Dispute Resolution) Act 1998;
ETA 1996 = Employment Tribunals Act 1996 (formerly known as the Industrial Tribunals Acts 1996);

HRA 1998 = Human Rights Act 1998;
HSWA = Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974;

ICTA = Income & Corporation Taxes Act 1988;
ITEPA = Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003;

NMWA 1998 = National Minimum Wage Act 1998;

PA = Patents Act 1977;

RRA = Race Relations Act 1976;

SDA = Sex Discrimination Act 1975;
SSA(F)A 1997 = Social Security Administration (Fraud) Act 1997;
SSCBA = Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992;

TICE Regulations 1999 = Transnational Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 1999, SI 1999/3323;
TULRA = Trade Union & Labour Relations Act 1974;
TULR(c)A 1992 = Trade Union & Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992;
TUPE or TUPE regs 1981 = Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981, SI 1981/1794;
TUPE or TUPE regs 2006 = Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, SI 2006/246;
TURERA = Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Act 1993;

WT regs 1998 = Working Time Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/1833);

EU LAW

NICD = The National Information and Consultation Directive 2002/14/EC;

INSTITUTIONS:

ACAS = Advisory, Conciliation & Arbitration Service (now officially written, on its own website, as "Acas");

BIS = Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (created on 6th June 2009 to superseded the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform);
BERR = Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (created on 28th June 2007, when it replaced the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI); superseded on 6th June 2009 by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS));

CAC = Central Arbitration Committee;
CBI = Confederation of British Industry;
CIPD = Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development;
CO = Certification Officer;
COIT = Employment Tribunals Central Office (formerly Central Office of the Industrial Tribunals; ceased to exist c. 1997);
CRE = Commission for Racial Equality;
CSA = Child Support Agency;

DCA = Department for Constitutional Affairs (now MoJ);
DCSF = Department for Children, Schools and Families (now DfE);
DfE = Department of Education (formerly, until 12th May 2010, the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE));
DfEE = Department of Education and Employment (now DfE);
DfES = Department for Education and Skills (now DfE);
DHSS = Department of Health and Social Security (now DWP);
DIUS = Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (now BIS);
DSS = Department of Social Security (now DWP);
DTI = Department of Trade and Industry (now BIS);
DWP = Department of Work and Pensions;

EC = European Community (now EU);
EHRC = Equality and Human Rights Commission (established in October 2007 to supersede and build upon the work of the Equal Opportunites Commission (EOC), Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) and Disability Rights Commission (DRC);
EOC = Equal Opportunities Commission (now superseded by EHRC);
EU = European Union;

FCO = Foreign and Commonwealth Office;

HMG = Her Majesty's Government;
HMRC = Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs;
HSC = Health & Safety Commission;
HSE = Health & Safety Executive;

ICO = Information Commissioner's Office;
ILO = International Labour Organisation;
ISA = Independent Safeguarding Authority;

LCD = Lord Chancellor's Department (now MoJ);

MA = Maternity Allowance;
MoJ = Ministry of Justice (governs the Tribunals Service);

SAP = Statutory Adoption Pay;
SML = Statutory Maternity Leave;
SMP = Statutory Maternity Pay;
SPP = Statutory Paternity Pay;
SSP = Statutory Sick Pay;

TUC = Trades Union Congress;