Jun 2011 09

How much do ‘Pilgrims’ cost you?8

Jane Pilgrim is a nurse, and is employed by the NHS, however she doesn’t spend her day tending the sick. She spends her day working full-time for her union.

Last week, Liam Billington wrote on how union funding at Tameside Council has risen by 48% and I highlighted how in Hull UNISON had a ‘countdown to power’ before the recent local elections.

In our report on union funding last year, we showed how much YOU PAY for union activities in your local council, NHS Trust, and other public bodies. Here are some figures from 2009/10:

  • Ofsted are charged with inspecting schools, but we also contribute around £175K to union representatives.
  • Over £600K of our money assists unions in the Valuation Office Agency.
  • The next time you pay your taxes, remember over £6 million of our money pays for union activities in HMRC.
  • Union activities in councils cost over £22 million, and this is a conservative estimate, as many councils (like many Quangos, NHS Trusts and government departments) do not record the amount of time spent on union business when they should be working for us.

In a written answer to a question in parliament, DCLG minister Bob Neil said:

“I am aware of the public and parliamentary concern expressed in recent weeks over trade union officials paid for from the public purse. The coalition Government’s transparency agenda will help ensure that cash payments to trade unions and the titles of staff posts in local government are open to public scrutiny. At a time when all local authorities need to make sensible savings to help pay off the budget deficit, councillors will rightly wish to review the merits of (full-time) union officials funded by the taxpayer and the provision of the office facilities to trade unions.”

The more pressure that can be exerted on these pilgrims, the better. If you feel that the taxpayer funding of union officials has to stop, here’s what you can do:

  • Read our report to find out how many union representatives there are in your local council, NHS trust and fire service.
  • Write to your MP to insist that the taxpayer funding of union activists has to stop.

Any responses you get, please forward them on to us. We pay our taxes for legitimate government services, not for officials union members should be paying for themselves.

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  • Anonymous

    Speaking of Quangos, where is the bonfire we were promised ?

    • TGF UKIP

      In the same state of non-ignition as the bonfire of regulation that Dave pledged.; so the conclusion must be…………? 

  • Susiebproctor

    Isn’t it time this entire business was subject to a legal challenge on behalf of the tax payer?

  • Susiebproctor

    Isn’t it time this entire business was subject to a legal challenge on behalf of the tax payer?

  • Anonymous

    Reading some of the Twitter comments below, it seems they’re mostly posted by… unionists!

    Scrap the lot. I’ve no wish to pay for them to promote their own agenda on my money.

  • Blarg1987

    Considering Unions are there to ensurethe employee is treated fairly, now I would rather tax payers money be spent on that, and so encouraging a minimal standard for buisnesses to follow, rather then going to bonuses in the city to a small group of individuals, which costsc more.
    On a side note, private companies do pay towards unions, when giving employees time off for union activities etc, which from the sounds of this article is what you are implying.

  • Anonymous

    Why should public bodies be providing funds / facilities for organisations outside the public domain? If public organisations require staff to deal with HR problems then these should be full time employees of the public body, responsible to its management not an outside body.

  • Der Krobsen

    I would think the employee representation is as important in local government as in any large organisation. Who do the employers deal with? Every individual? That’s not very efficient is it? Or perhaps just ignore them and tell them they are lucky to have a job.
    Local government employees must be absolutely fed up of being told they are “less efficient” than the private sector and I would guess their representation needs to be as strong as possible. They are first line of any government cuts it seems.