A MINISTER plans to name and shame public bodies spending millions in taxpayers’ cash paying staff to do union duties.
Esther McVey will write to the 21 worst council offenders demanding they slash their spending on what is known as “facility time”.
Councils who give trade union representatives paid time during work hours include bankrupt Labour-run Birmingham City Council.
It forked out a whopping £1.8million on facility time in 2022-2023, according to official figures.
The money went towards 42 trade union “pilgrims” who work full-time on union duties, the government says.
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It comes just as Birmingham hikes council tax bills by 21 per cent over the next two years.
Minister for Common Sense McVey will also write to Manchester City Council leaders.
They spent £731,926 on wages for staff to do union work.
Coventry City Council, which racked up a £732,836 bill, will get a letter too.
Ms McVey will also be writing to Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan about Transport for London’s £8million facility time bill and 881 pilgrims.
Ministers have reduced the level of facility time in the Civil Service from 0.26 per cent of total pay bill costs in 2012 to 0.05 per cent in 2024.
Ms McVey will target councils spending 0.2 per cent or more of total pay bill costs on trade union time and demand they redirect resources to frontline services.
She said: “Trade unions can play a constructive role in the modern workplace.
“But for too long in the public sector, trade unions have received taxpayer funding that is poor value for money and inadequately controlled.”
The minister added: “Tackling such public subsidies to trade unions is a practical way that public authorities can save money, to keep taxes down and protect frontline services for local residents — including union members themselves.”
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Next week the Government will publish official figures revealing how much is spent by every public body on handouts to unions.