Time off for trade union duties/activities

New and updated

• Time off work

  Type:

  Employment law manual

  Updated to reflect that the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill was published on 13 October 2017.

• Policy on time off for trade union learning representatives

  Type:

  Policies and documents

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

• The consequences of trade union recognition: local authority

  Type:

  Employment law manual

  Updated to reflect that the requirement to publish facility time is in force from 1 April 2017.

• Facilities and time off for trade union duties and activities agreement

  Type:

  Policies and documents

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

• Trade union facility time off reporting requirement for public sector takes effect

  Type:

  Legal timetable

  A new requirement for specified public-sector employers to report annually on paid facility time provided to trade union representatives is introduced.

• Handle a request from a trade union representative for time off to carry out his or her duties

  Type:

  Tasks

• Time off work: health (England and Wales)

  Type:

  Employment law manual

  Additional information on the law on time off work for NHS employers, including time off work for trade union representatives and staff in the reserve forces. To be read in conjunction with the general information on the law on time off work.

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

  Date:

  1 August 2015

  Type:

  Law reports

  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.

• EAT decides working time includes attendance at union meetings

  Date:

  12 May 2015

  Type:

  Law reports

  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.

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

  Date:

  7 November 2014

  Type:

  Law reports

  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.