To use the service employees need not be trade union members, nor do employers have to belong to a representative body. Conciliation involves a series of meetings that usually take place on the same day. The process starts with the IRO chairing a joint meeting of the parties representing the employees and the employer. The IRO then meets the parties separately. The first meeting enables the IRO to hear the parties assessment of the dispute.
Subsequent meetings explore the possibilities for a settlement.
The IRO treats as confidential all information received during the course of conciliation. The conciliation process is informal and non-legalistic in its practice. The parties are free to represent themselves or be represented by trade unions or by employer organisations. The Commission discourages legal representation at conciliation meetings. All IROs come from an independent public service background.