A new agreement between Labour and trade unions removes the 'hard cap' on paid time for union activities, allowing civil servants to attend conferences and engage in union work during working hours. The move has been praised by unions but criticized by the Conservatives as a waste of taxpayer money.
The UK government has announced a new agreement between Labour and trade unions that will allow civil servants to be paid for attending union conferences and engaging in union activities during working hours.
Under the revised guidelines, the previous 'hard cap' on the proportion of a department's paybill allocated to union activities, including conferences and pay negotiations, has been removed. Union representatives will now be required to spend half of their working time on their contractual duties, while the remaining time can be dedicated to trade union work, which was previously taken as unpaid leave or holiday time.
The move, funded by taxpayers, has been praised by the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) as a significant improvement over the 2018 framework, making it easier for representatives to attend conferences and engage in union activities, particularly those with caring responsibilities. However, the shift has faced criticism from the Conservative Party, with shadow cabinet office minister Alex Burghart describing it as an 'insult to taxpayers' and a waste of public funds, especially given the current decline in public sector productivity.
The new rules apply to all Whitehall civil servants and workers in public bodies, including prison officers and immigration workers. The change comes alongside the recent passing of the Employment Rights Bill, which grants additional powers to public sector union representatives. Martin Cavanagh, the national president of the PCS, emphasized that the new framework will make the union more democratic and accessible. Notably, statutory duties such as health and safety will not be subject to the new time limits.
The move has sparked controversy, with concerns that taxpayers are effectively funding union activities, including the planning of strikes that have disrupted public services. Data shows that around £90 million of taxpayers' money was spent last year on facility time, which allows public sector workers to be paid while engaging in union activities, such as distributing leaflets and organizing industrial action.
The new guidelines, which remove the previous 0.1 percent cap on facility time, encourage departments to consider offering paid time off for union representatives to attend annual conferences, citing the benefits of fostering constructive industrial relations and policy setting. The Ministry of Justice had the highest facility time bill last year at £3.2 million, followed by HM Revenue and Customs (£2.3 million) and NHS Lothian (£2.2 million).
The Department for Work and Pensions had the largest number of embedded union representatives, with 1,014, followed by HM Revenue and Customs (776) and the Ministry of Justice (647). A government spokesperson defended the policy, stating that facility time has been a legal right for decades and that civil servants are expected to prioritize their primary roles
Labour Trade Unions Civil Servants Facility Time Public Sector
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