Union facility time faces cut

Civil service union PCS will “robustly” resist moves to slash its ability to help members, says general secretary Mark Serwotka.

The Cabinet Office has published its response to the consultation on cutting union facility time in the civil service, as announced at the Tory Party conference earlier this month by Cabinet secretary Francis Maude.

Changes to be imposed on civil service unions include that:

• reps will be limited to a maximum of 50% paid time off for union duties, except in “exceptional circumstances”;

• reps who have currently been on 100% facility time for three years will be stopped after another year or on being promoted to a new role; and

• union “activities” as opposed to “duties” will not attract paid time off, except in exceptional circumstances.

The Cabinet Office has set a guide figure for spending on facility time of 0.1% of the paybill in the first year, including time spent by safety reps and union learning reps.

www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/consultation-reform-trade-union-facility-time-and-facilities-civil-service