Public and Commercial Services Union

The model contains examples of most of the activities carried out by members in branches, and on behalf of the GEC. It not only covers facility time on employee relations and trade union duties but also other duties that may require time off. The actual figures given are illustrations but will vary from case to case, depending on the extent of involvement, and also the amount of travelling time required that must also be incorporated.

References. PRG references relate to the Statement of Civilian Personnel Policy, Version 2.0-2007 effective 1 October 2007 and show the page number, paragraph, and sub paragraph. You must check that this is the latest version of the Policy. The references are for guidance only and do not need to be included in the claim. You will also need to access the related document ‘Employee Relations - Facility Time Forms’ which not only contains the covering letter for facility time claims but also additional guidance on the expected maximum limits for all duties. A case will have to be made for facility time in excess of those limits, for example because of the large size of the branch or additional duties. It also has two forms; one for ER duties and one for TU duties, but the format of the attached example can be used instead. If you have no access to the Intranet or the Internet then you can request a copy of these documents by phoning PPPA on 0800 345 7772 (93345 7772).

TU duties. There is a limit on the total amount of time for TU duties that has been agreed with the department - for accredited representatives it is 25 days. TU duties should be confined to those items which are essential. Wherever possible the balance of the 25 days allowed should then be used for recruitment; an area where the union needs as much effort as possible.

Further limits. It has also been agreed that the expectation is that the facility time requested in branches will be no more than 50% and Line Managers can agree claims up to this limit. Any claims above this limit will be forwarded by your LM to the TLB/Agency/Trading Fund. If you have such a claim you must clear the basis of your claim with MOD Group HQ before you submit it to your Line Manager. Due to the difficulties for all concerned of properly managing staff who have amounts of facility time between 50% and 100% facility time, such claims are expected to be exceptional and will only be considered by management if supported by PCS HQ.