Public and Commercial Services Union

Facility time

Time used purely for internal union tasks. This time is spent ensuring the union works as it should and that our campaigns are promoted effectively. This would include forums dealing with trade unionism and trade union issues, and any prep. time for meetings that would come under facility time. This is managed by an allowance granted by the department based on your union role. Facility time is paid, in law.

Industrial relations time

This is time spent working with management and collectively or individually representing staff, such as in negotiations and personal cases etc. This would include forums dealing with workplace issues, and any prep. time for meetings that would come under industrial relations time. There is no set allowance for such time as these issues cannot be passed over due to a lack of time allowance. Such time is considered as much work for the department as for the PCS, since if the unions did not do it the department would have to hire staff to take on the role. Industrial relations time is paid, in law.

Union training time

This time is spent training for your trade union roles. An allowance is granted each year for training, with an extra allowance being granted in the first year an individual takes up a union role for initial training. Training time is paid, in law. Training specifically for health and safety duties and for learning rep duties is additional to a rep’s usual number of union training days. This is supported in law. Such training should be requested and recorded as health and safety time or learning rep time as appropriate, not as union training time.

Learning rep time

Specific time reserved for union learning reps by law. This can include learning rep training time and relevant forums, and any prep. time for meetings that would come under learning rep time. Such time cannot be claimed by other reps directly, but learning reps can ask for some of their learning rep time to be distributed to other reps so that they can assist with learning rep tasks (such as learning at work day). Although such requests for distributed time need not be granted to non-learning reps under law, it helps the employer to do so when needed since this spreads the work load and takes the pressure off the line managers of the learning reps during heavy periods (such as during learning at work day). Learning rep time is paid, in law.

Health and safety time

Specific time reserved for qualified H&S reps so that they can carry out regular workplace inspections, attend incidents and carry out the administration of the requisite paper work relating to their H&S role. This would include meetings with the department's H&S staff which would likely be organised on a regular basis, and forum attendance for H&S issues that would directly assist the officer in their H&S duties. It would also include any prep. time for meetings that would come under H&S time. Such time is unlimited, since this work must be dealt with in a timely manner, and is strongly protected in law. In fact, if this role is not carried out as required then both the union and the department could face legal difficulties in the event of an accident. H&S time is paid, in law.

Conference attendance time

Such time is provided for in law, and is to be used for the annual conference. In law, this time need not be paid, but must be provided as unpaid leave at least. That said, it is the practice of the department , as well as the civil service in general, to provide paid leave for conference. Since one rep cannot be treated differently to another in such matters, all attending reps will receive paid leave for conference.

Branch meeting time

Union members are entitled to attend a reasonable number of union branch meetings during work time. Since all reps are union members, they are entitled to attend under the same conditions. Such time is not considered facility time (although it is often referred to as such in some areas of the department), since normal members do not have a facility allowance and reps cannot be treated differently to any other member in such matters. Branch meeting time is paid, in law. Please note, branch meeting time does not include meeting prep. time which would usually either come under facility time or industrial relations time depending on the topic of the meeting. It may even need to be divided between different types of time classification if necessary.

Strike Action

Such time is unpaid, though a PCS hardship fund exists for extreme cases. The regulations can be difficult here, but the advice is that non-members should join a union before considering taking such action. In the event of strike action, further information is available from senior reps. When considering such matters, always ask a senior rep before putting a foot in it. Be careful.

Weekend Union Time

If a rep is to be taking union time over a weekend, perhaps for travelling time or for attendance at a forum, seminar or training session, this time should also be paid as usual (strike action excepted). Of course, the department is unlikely to want to pay the rep extra for the time. Usually the rep would receive a flexi-adjustment or TOIL (time off in lieu) or special leave. Permission to take union time over a weekend must be requested from line management as usual, and it would be classified as one of the standard types of union time listed above. As such, the normal guidance shown here for the appropriate type of union time should be followed.

REMEMBER: If in doubt, always ask a senior rep!