Facilities and facility time

The Government recognises the valuable role played by workplace representatives. The review of facilities and facility time assessed whether:

• representatives have sufficient access to facilities and facility time to enable them to carry out their functions efficiently and effectively, bearing in mind the needs and resources of modern workplaces
• there is a need to clarify or simplify the relevant statutory rights governing facilities and facility time
• there is adequate practical guidance provided to help parties apply those entitlements at the workplace

A formal three-month consultation started on 4 January 2007 and ended on 29 March 2007. The response document presents the final findings of the review, including the recommendations below.

The recommendations included:

• the revision of the existing Code of Practice on Time Off for Trade Union Duties and Activities by the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) to modernise the practical guidance it gives to managers and representatives
• resources permitting, a research project to evaluate the workplace impact of trade union education to be undertaken resources permitting, BIS to develop e-courses for non-union representatives and for the management of representatives by middle managers 
• resources permitting, BIS to create a new portal to allow easy access to the existing Government guidance on workplace representation 
• the publication of joint tripartite statements in support of modern union representatives and the benefits they bring

Workplace Representatives: a review of their facilities and facility time

‘Reps in Action’ – how workplaces can gain from modern union representatives

BIS has worked with the CBI and the TUC to produce a joint statement which describes the role of modern union representatives and the positive contribution they can make to the workplace.

‘Reps in Action’ presents seven real life examples which shows how management and lay union representatives have worked positively together in order to address issues which can occur in any workplace.

Reps in action: how workplaces can gain from modern union representation (PDF, 144KB)

To support this, BIS commissioned seven longer case studies, prepared by the Leeds University Business School, which expand on the examples used in ‘Reps in Action’.

To read more about how each of the organisations and the union representatives approached the issues faced in the workplace, read the case studies below:

• Reps in action: Boots: union learning representative (PDF, 29KB) - a union learning representative working with managers at Boots in a redundancy situation
• Reps in action: British Museum: environmental representative (PDF, 33KB) - an environmental representative's contribution towards a more energy efficient British Museum
• Reps in action: British Telecom Open Reach: branch representative (PDF, 27KB) - management at British Telecom Open Reach working with a branch representative to improve flexible working arrangements
• Reps in action: Cavaghan and Gray: plant convenor (PDF, 27KB) - a plant convenor's role in helping to improve health and safety practices at Cavaghan and Gray
• Reps in action: G4S Cash Services (UK): national negotiation committee reps  (PDF, 32KB) - National Negotiation Committee representatives' work with Group 4 Securicor in reducing the number of violent attacks on staff
• Reps in actions: Npower - GMB, Unison and Unite (PDF, 25KB) - lay officials and shop stewards' role in working with Npower to improve the procedures relating to poor performance.
• Reps in action: tristar Homes: union learning co-ordinator  (PDF, 31KB) - a union learning representative's contribution towards improved training and learning performance at Tristar Homes

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