Time off for trade union duties/activities

New and updated

• Type:

  Employment law manual

  Time off work

  Updated to include information on the Government’s response to its consultation on unpaid leave for carers, published 23 September 2021.

• Type:

  How to

  How to deal with time off for trade union representatives

  Practical guidance on dealing with time off for trade union representatives, including guidance on the right to time off for trade union members for union activities.

• Type:

  Policies and documents

  Policy on time off for trade union learning representatives

  Updated to take into account the new duty on public-sector employers to publish trade union facility time, effective from 1 April 2017.

• Type:

  Policies and documents

  Facilities and time off for trade union duties and activities agreement

  Updated to highlight the impact of the General Data Protection Regulation in force from 25 May 2018, on this document.

• Type:

  Tasks

  Handle a request from a trade union representative for time off to carry out their duties

• Date:

  1 August 2015

  Type:

  Law reports

  Working time: Time attending trade union and health and safety meetings constituted working time

  In Edwards and another v Encirc Ltd [2015] IRLR 528 EAT, the EAT held that the time employee representatives spent attending trade union and health and safety meetings constituted "working time" under the Working Time Regulations 1998.

• Date:

  12 May 2015

  Type:

  Law reports

  EAT decides working time includes attendance at union meetings

  The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has held that the employment tribunal adopted an unduly restrictive approach when deciding that the time spent by two trade union representatives attending union meetings during the day was not "working time". The EAT said that the correct approach is to take into account the aims of the EU Directive relating to working time.

• Date:

  7 November 2014

  Type:

  Law reports

  Employment tribunal decides attendance at union meetings is not "working time"

  Two trade union representatives working night shifts claimed that the time they spent attending union meetings during the day was "working time" and so they were entitled to an 11-hour rest period from the end of the meetings until the start of their next night shift. The employment tribunal rejected this claim.

• Date:

  1 October 2014

  Type:

  Law reports

  Case round-up

  David Malamatenios is partner, Linda Quinn, Colin Makin and Krishna Santra are senior associates, and Dominic Speedie is an associate at Colman Coyle Solicitors. They round up the latest rulings.

• Type:

  Tasks

  Handle union members' right to time off to take part in union activities