Facility Time Publication

Trade Union Facility Time Publication

Trade Union Facility Time Publication Requirements for the reporting period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Introduction

Facility Time is the provision of paid or unpaid time off from an employee’s normal role to undertake Trade Union duties and activities as a Trade Union representative. There is a statutory entitlement to reasonable paid time off for undertaking Trade Union duties. There is no statutory entitlement to paid time off for undertaking Trade Union activities.

Facility Time Information

Under the Trade Union Facilities (Facility Time Publication Requirements) Time 2017 regulations the Trust is required to collate and publish the following:

• Table 1: the number of employees who were relevant union officials during the relevant period, and the number of full-time equivalent employees.
• Table 2: the percentage of time spent on facility time for each relevant union official.
• Table 3: the percentage of pay bill spent on facility time.
• Table 4: the number of hours spent by relevant union officials on paid trade union activities as a percentage of total paid facility time hours.

The data or the reporting year 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 is shown below. 
       

Calculation 1: Relevant union officials 

What was the total number of your employees who were relevant union officials during the relevant period? 

The data highlights a slight increase in the number of relevant union officials, rising from 153 employees in 2023/24 to 155 employees in 2024/25, with the full-time equivalent employee number (FTE) slightly increasing from 134.62 to 136.32 over the same period. This slight growth represents minimal changes in the composition and engagement levels of trade union representatives, suggesting that the underlying dynamics within the organisation remain stable. The limited variation underscores the steadiness of union representation, with no significant influx of new active representatives or substantial shifts in their roles and responsibilities.

Calculation 2: Percentage of time spent on facility time. 

How many of your employees, who were relevant union officials employed during the relevant period spent, a) 0%, b) 1%-50%, c) 51%-99% or d) 100% of their working hours on facility time? 

The calculation above does not include any abstraction for Trade Union officials who participated in industrial action. Like members of staff, representatives recorded as striking were not paid for this time by the Trust.

Calculation 3: Percentage of pay bill spent on facility time.
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.

*  This number includes notional pension, but excludes unsocial hours 

Calculation 4: Paid trade union activities 

As a percentage of total paid facility time hours, how many hours were spent by employees who were relevant union officials during the relevant period on paid trade union activities? 

No representatives reported undertaking any activity time in Trust paid time in the last four years.   

The Trust supports the role trade unions can play in:

• Maintaining and developing good employee relations
• Assisting communication between the Trust and its workforce
• Representing individual employees.