The Trade Union (facility time publication requirements) Regulations 2017 came in to force on 1 April 2017. In line with regulation, all employers must publish information on facility time, which is agreed time off from an individual’s job to carry out a trade union role on an annual basis.
The Trust has worked closely with our staff side Trade Union colleagues who have been providing this information on a quarterly basis.
This report details North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust’s position in accordance with the legislation in order for this information to be published on both the Government and Trust websites by 31 July 2023.
The information relates to five areas:
- Relevant Trade Union Officials
- Time spent on facility time
- Percentage of time spent on facility time
- Total cost of the pay bill in 2022-23
- Total cost of facility time
Reported Trade Union Facility Time (1 April 2022–31 March 2023)
Relevant union officials
What was the total number of your employees who were relevant union officials during the relevant period?
| Trade union representatives | 2 |
| Full-time equivalent (FTE) trade union representatives | 1 |
Time spent on facility time
What was the total amount of time representatives spent on facility time, broken down to include a) paid union duties and activities, b) paid union activities, and c) unpaid union activities?
| Total amount of time representatives spend on facility time | 1,961 hours |
| A. Total amount of time representatives spent on facility time – paid union duties and activities | 1,769 hours |
| B. Total amount of time representatives spent on paid union activities | 192 hours (attending conferences and committees) |
| C. Total amount of time representatives spent on unpaid union activities | 0 hours |
Percentage of time spent on facility time
What was the percentage of working hours each representative spent on facility time, in the categories of a) 0%, b) 1% to 50%, c) 51% to 99%, or d) 100%?
| Percentage of Time | Number of Representatives |
| A. 0% | 0 |
| B. 1%-50% | 0 |
| C. 51%-99% | 1 |
| D. 100% | 1 |
Total cost of pay bill 2022 – 23
Provide the total cost of the pay bill for all employees
| Total pay bill for all employees, not just union representatives (This is the total gross amount for all employees spent on wages plus the total pension contributions plus total National Insurance contributions) | Total – £88.530m |
Total cost of facility time 2022 – 23
Provide the figures requested in the first column of the table below to determine the percentage of your total pay bill spent on paying employees who were relevant union officials for facility time during the relevant period.
| Total cost of facility time | £40,600 |
| Total cost of trade union duties | £37,000 |
| Percentage of trade union activities | £3,600 |
| Percentage of the total pay bill spent on facility time | 0.05% |
| Percentage of total paid facility time spent on trade union duties | 9.79% |
| Percentage of total paid facility time spent on trade union activities | 91% |