Facility Time Publication

Trade Union Facility Time Publication

Trade Union Facility Time Publication Requirements for the reporting period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 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 2022 to 31 March 2023 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? 

Year Number of employees who were union officials during the period  Full-time equivalent employee number (FTE) 

2021/22

55 45.57
2022/23 65

58.21

 

Compared with the previous year, there are 10 additional trade union officials reported as engaging in paid facilities time in 2022/23, compared to 2021/22, this correlates to the increase in paid hours represented in Calculation 4, and the increase in trade union officials who undertake 0-0.9% of their time as Facilities time where they are likely to have been abstracted to undertake training and shadowing opportunities.

With the significant industrial action taking place over the year, it is not surprising that representative recruitment and activity has increased.

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? 

Percentage of working time

Number of employees (2021/2022)

Number of employees (2022/2023)

0%-0.9%

8

19

1-50%

40

33

51%-99%

3

7

100%

4

5

 

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.

 

 

2021/2022 

2022/2023 

Provide the total cost of facility time   

£440,556* 

£557, 669*

Total pay bill   

£258,669,000 

£276,615,049

Provide the percentage of the total pay bill spent on facility time, calculated as:(total cost of facility time ÷ total pay bill) x 100 

0.17% 

0.20%

*  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? 

 

2021/2022 

2022/2023 

Time spent on paid trade union activities as a percentage of total paid facility time hours calculated as: (total hours spent on paid trade union activities by relevant union officials during the relevant period ÷ total paid facility time hours) x 100  

 

0% 

 

0% 

 

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