WIREDGOV

Government plans announced yesterday to cut the time union representatives can spend supporting their colleagues coincides with a wider threat to working conditions and is politically driven.

Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude has outlined plans to drastically reduce the amount of time civil servants can spend carrying out their trade union duties, including negotiating with employers, resolving grievances and dealing with health and safety issues.

But in his speech to the Tory party conference Mr Maude failed to mention the massive benefits to organisations and the wider economy of what is known as facility time, which the government's own figures show are between £3 and £9 for every £1 spent.

The announcement comes as civil service managers are being told to 'review' all terms and conditions, including working hours, annual leave and many other contractual issues.

It also coincides with other government policies to further shift the balance of power from employees to employers, including the introduction of fees for employment tribunals and making it more difficult to claim unfair dismissal.

The union has been in talks on facility time with the Cabinet Office for several weeks but, under instructions from Mr Maude, the government has now withdrawn from this process. Three planned meetings were cancelled at short notice with no explanation, the most recent one just hours before it was due to start.

The union says the timing of the announcement is being led by the timetable for the party conference, rather than there being a genuine desire to negotiate and reach an agreement, something senior civil servants had said they were keen to do.