Facility time reporting: guidance for public sector employers

The Facility Time Publication Requirements

In responding to the Regulations, public sector employers in Scotland may wish to consider the following points:

The Regulations require very specific information to be provided by public sector employers in relation to recording and reporting.

The Regulations require public sector employers to report on:

• The number of trade union representatives employed during each reporting year.
• The number of full-time equivalent representatives employed.
• The number of relevant union representatives who spent 0 per cent, 1-50 per cent, 51-99 per cent or 100 per cent of their time on facility time.
• The total costs of facility time.
• The total pay bill and the percentage of the total pay bill spent on facility time.
• The percentage of facility time which is used for trade union activities.
• The costs of facility time include wages, pension contributions and National Insurance contributions.
• The Regulations do not require a detailed breakdown by types of union representative or of time spent on different union activities, or other costs linked to the provision of facilities.

Public sector employers may wish to reach agreement with their recognised unions on how facility time information should be collated and not create any unnecessary administrative burden on union representatives or other staff.

We strongly advise all public sector employers to work collaboratively with your recognised trade unions to develop a process for collating the required information and a response which maximises the benefits of facility time to your organisation.

Public sector employers may wish to use the Scottish Government and STUC Facility Time Statement to accentuate the positive benefits of facility time.

The Facility Time Statement is designed to be signed by the public sector employer and recognised trade union(s) and to be published with the facility time data on the employer's website and included in the employer's annual report.

Employers should refer to the UK Government's guidance for information on the format and mechanism for submitting the required data.