Please can you provide the following information:
1. The details of any office accommodation your organisation provides to staff to carry out trade union business. Please include details of:
* space measured in square feet
* how much of this space is contained within entirely separate buildings (i.e. occupied solely by staff carrying out trade union business)
* 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
* any charges the council levy for office space given to trade unions.
The Council provide 2 rooms for Trade Union business, both rooms are within the same building. No professional valuation of its rental value has been sought. The combined square footage is 452 square feet. These rooms are provided for free by the Council. Please note that the need for facilities will vary according to the role and situation of individual representatives but the Council will provide the use of accommodation for meetings and interviews with union members and other officials as required.
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?
Yes, some employees pay their membership via payroll. In all cases, the Council charge the corresponding trade union a 0.5% fee per deduction.
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).
Corporate function
The total cost for 2023/24 was £184,613 which was 0.08% of our pay bill. Our current Trade Union Convenors (4), equate to 2.9 FTE. This has recently changed and was previously 4 Trade Union Convenors, equating to 3.7 FTE.
Education function
The total cost for 2023/24 was £44,535 which was 0.02% of our pay bill. Our current Trade Union Reps (3), equate to 1 FTE.
We do not budget a specific amount as this will vary, we permit reasonable paid time off in accordance with the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992.
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.
The Council pays £1.54 per month for one work mobile phone for use by Trade Union Convenors.