Nearly 15,000 public sector workers received paid leave for union activities last year.

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  Nearly 15,000 public sector workers received paid leave for union activities last year.

• More than 1,000 spent almost all their working time on union causes.

• Around £90 million of taxpayer money funded facility time last year.

• Facility time was funded across councils, schools, Whitehall departments and the NHS.

• There were more than 20,000 union representatives embedded in public bodies.

• 14,976 (74%) of union representatives received paid leave.

• Around 3,000 of those were NHS workers.

• Nearly 1,000 workers devoted almost all their time to union work.

• 2,258 spent more than half their working hours on union projects.

• NHS resident doctors have staged 14 strikes since 2023.

• The most recent strike occurred in December 2025.

• The December 2025 strike coincided with a surge in flu cases.

• Ministers accused the union of timing the strike to cause maximum disruption.

• Wes Streeting said recent strikes have cost the NHS £250 million.

• Forecasts suggest strike costs could reach £1 billion within a few years.

• Strikes have affected HM Revenue and Customs.

• Bin collection services have also been disrupted by industrial action.

• The NHS spent nearly £19 million on facility time last year.

• NHS facility time spending rose 10% compared to when Conservatives were in government.

• In the NHS:

  • 305 staff spent more than half their hours on union duties.

  • 172 staff spent all their working time on union duties.

• Local councils spent £29.4 million on facility time last year.

• More than 3,000 council workers received paid leave for union activities.

• The Department for Work and Pensions had 1,014 union representatives.

• John O’Connell is chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance.

• He called for banning staff from spending more than 50% of working hours on union activity.

• Reform UK criticised the level of spending on facility time.

• The Government said it is investing record levels in the NHS.

• The Government said facility time costs as a share of pay are in line with previous years.