Trade Union Accommodation, Subscriptions Deductions & Staff WTE

Reference: 24-25281

Date response sent: 10/10/2024

Details of enquiry

Please advise:

1. The details of any office accommodation your organisation provides to staff to carry out trade union business. Please include details of:

a. space measured in square feet

b. how much of this space is contained within entirely separate buildings (i.e. occupied solely by staff carrying out trade union business)

c. whether a professional valuation of the market rental value of the space has been sought either in-house or externally, and if so, what the valuation of the space was

d. any charges the council levy for office space given to trade unions.

2. Do you deduct trade union subscriptions for any of your employees via payroll (sometimes known as the “check off” system)? If so, do you charge a fee to the trade unions concerned for providing this service?

3. With regard to trade union facility time, please provide the total cost of facility time from your pay bill for the financial year 2023/24 and the budget for the current financial year. Please also advise the current number of employees that you fund to be union officials, measured as full time equivalents? (For guidance on definitions please refer to the Government’s Transparency Code for local government: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-government-transparency-code-2015/local-government-transparency-code-2015)

4. Please advise any estimates for other costs met for those staff on trade union facility time apart from salaries – including travel expenses, office supplies, telephone expenses and energy bills

Response sent

1. The details of any office accommodation your organisation provides to staff to carry out trade union Please include details of:

a. space measured in square feet

We do not provide a dedicated space for unions, this is accommodated within the Department of Education and Training space.

b. how much of this space is contained within entirely separate buildings (i.e. occupied solely by staff carrying out trade union business)

None

c. whether a professional valuation of the market rental value of the space has been sought either in-house or externally, and if so, what the valuation of the space was

Not applicable.  See our response to Q1a above

d. any charges the council levy for office space given to trade unions.

None

2. Do you deduct trade union subscriptions for any of your employees via payroll (sometimes known as the “check off” system)?

No

3. With regard to trade union facility time, please provide the total cost of facility time from your pay bill for the financial year 2023/24 and the budget for the current financial year. Please also advise the current number of employees that you fund to be union officials, measured as full time equivalents? (For guidance on definitions please refer to the Government’s Transparency Code for local government: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-government-transparency-code-2015/local-government-transparency-code-2015)

This information is publicly available within the annual accounts for 2022/23 at page 42.  This may be reached, via the Trust’s website at: https://tavistockandportman.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Tavistock-and-Portman-NHS-FT-Annual-Report-and-Accounts-2023-24.pdf

4. Please advise any estimates for other costs met for those staff on trade union facility time apart from salaries – including travel expenses, office supplies, telephone expenses and energy bills

Not applicable