Public sector unions subsidised
Public sector unions are using taxpayer money to fund union activities, without recommended regulatory limits, think-tank Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA) said today. Public sector bodies are supposed to vet “facilities time” – where union officials are paid by the employer to do union business – and decide their reasonableness. This amounted to around £80m of paid time in 2010-11, the think-tank found. But the TPA says public sector employers are giving more facility time than necessary.