Defending Facility Time Carl Roper, TUC National Organiser

A key resources for unions Off balance sheet resource Supports reps – the face of the union for most members A shrinking asset? Valued but un-costed...except by employers and the Tories?

OUR RIGHTS Representatives of an independent union recognised by their employer are allowed reasonable time off for union DUTIES and ACTIVITIES Reps have a RIGHT to PAID time off for DUTIES There is NO RIGHT to PAID time off for ACTIVITIES

It’s a political attack that’s been lead by...

“ It is unacceptable for taxpayers to be left footing the bill for trade unions' political campaigning and union members abusing the system in this way should be regarded with the same disdain as crooks, fraudsters and benefit cheats” PRITI PATEL “The support they get from the taxpayer has got way out of hand - we can't go on like this.” FRANCIS MAUDE “They cost the public sector – that’s taxpayers to you and me – a quarter of a billion pounds a year. That’s money taken away from frontline services. We're going to call time on this last closed shop.” ERIC PICKLES

WHAT ARE THEY SAYING? During a period when key services are being cut it’s wrong to spend money on union activists Union’s should pay for their own activists anyway The Taxpayer is funding political activity

Cut proportion of pay bill covering facility time by more than half New ‘guide figure’ on proportion of pay bill covering paid release Time for union activity should always be UNPAID Reps on 50% plus release have to be signed off by SofS or equivalent Reps on 100% release for last three years can only continue to do so for one more year More rigorous monitoring systems Applies to ALL reps including H&S and ULRs

Scrap trade union posts: Get rid of unnecessary non-jobs such as taxpayer-funded, full- time trade union ‘pilgrim’ posts. Charge for collecting trade union subscriptions: Councils can exercise existing legal rights to charge trade unions for the collection of trade union subscription fees via the municipal payroll

Fighting Back Separating fact from fiction Talking about value not cost Highlighting the employer voice New resources for reps - Defending what we have Marking the argument for the work of reps Making the most of what we have

Some questions: How do we make the case for paid time off to employers, members and the public? Should we make those who have facility time more accountable for how they use it Is 100% release good or bad?