Item 11 - Appendix C

NOTES FROM DTI CONSULTATION DOCUMENT ON WORKPLACE REPRESENTATIVES : A REVIEW OF THEIR FACILITIES AND FACILITY TIME JANUARY 2007

  • There are 350,000 workplace reps evenly split between union and non-union.
  • 47% of employees work at places with on site reps
  • Union reps average age is 46, women are under-represented
  • Unions are finding it increasingly hard to recruit reps
  • Senior workplace reps average12.5 hours a week on union duties
  • They receive training for their duties
  • The state spends about £10m/yr supporting training
  • The DTI estimates that workplace reps bring an identifiable range of benefits worth £476 to £1,133 million annually, in addition to which there may be significant gains from increased productivity.
  • Costs to their employers in providing time off and facilities ranges between £407 -£430.4 million annually
  • Reps spend large amounts of their own time on their duties – estimated to value £115m annually

NOTES FROM DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM – REPS IN ACTION – HOW WORKPLACES CAN GAIN FROM MODERN UNION REPRESENTATION – MAY 2009

  • There are around 200,00 lay union reps
  • Reps undertake many tasks – articulating views of workers on practice and performance, training, improving the environment, ensuring equality and fairness
  • Case studies in the document look at how reps and managers deal with difficult 1 off situations, and other workplace problems by operating efficiently and constructively together
  • ACAS provides practical advice on how reps should access time and facilities
  • The document then looks at case studies of operations with –
  • Boots – restructuring and redundancy, use of ULRs
  • British Museum – energy reduction from green workplaces initiative
  • BT Open Reach – organising flexible employment for workers with children
  • Cavaghan and Gray – health and safety improvements
  • Securicor – H&S with attacks campaign, and a fund to help injured employees
  • NPower – improved capability and disciplinary procedures
  • Tristar Homes – Improvement in training uptake/skills

NOTES FROM TUC ‘The facts about facility time for union reps’ – September 2010

  • Union representatives have a statutory right to reasonable time off to carry out trade union duties – most of the current provisions come under the Trade Unions and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992
  • There are 6.7million trades union members in UK – 200,000 carry out reps duties at workplace level – giving members informal advice, representing members individually, and negotiating with managers. They also look at Health and Safety, give access to learning, improve equality and diversity, and work with employers to make workplaces environmentally friendly
  • The Dept of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in 2007 found that the work of union reps resulted in –
  • Savings to employers of £22m-43m in reduced employment tribunal cases
  • Benefits to society of £136m-371m in reducing work days lost due to injury
  • Benefits to society of £45m-207m in reducing work related illness
  • Estimates of other benefits are –
  • £4b-12b gain in productivity
  • Savings of >£19m from reduced dismissals
  • Savings of £82m-143m in recruitment costs as a result of reducing early exits
  • TUC and CBI May 2009 issued a joint statement that agreed that union reps ‘delivered real gains at the workplace’