Ministers are poised for a showdown with Britain's leading public sector union over ‘facility time' – paid leave given to civil servants to take part in trade union duties during office hours.
A consultation reviewing the amount of time and pay spent on facility time was launched on 13 July by the Cabinet Office, with ministers stating changes to the system were ‘urgently needed', claiming it costs more than £36m a year. Unison officials called the consultation an ‘illogical blow against employment rights'.
