MustTrade Union (Facility Time) Regulations 2017

Trade union facility time report

A yearly report on trade union facility time: the number of union officials, the share of working hours and pay bill spent on facility time, and paid union activity hours. Trusts with over 49 employees must publish it on the trust's website by 31 July.

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Who it applies to

Published on
The academy trust's website
School type
Academies
School stage
All stages, from early years to sixth form
Only applies to
Employers with 50 or more staff
Does not apply to
No school types are excluded

When is it due?

How often
Every year
Due by
31 July each year

What's needed

Publish the trade union facility time report for the latest reporting year on the trust's statutory information page, matching the figures submitted to the GOV.UK service.

What it must contain

5 parts
  • Gives the number of employees who were relevant union officialsMust
  • Gives the percentage of working hours union officials spent on facility timeMust
  • Gives the percentage of the pay bill spent on facility timeMust
  • Gives the hours union officials spent on paid trade union activitiesMust
  • Publishes the facility time report in the Schedule 2 format with its questionsMust

What the official sources say

Set out in 1 official source:

Trade Union (Facility Time Publication Requirements) Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/328)

Version revised (legislation.gov.uk)

  • If the employee number condition is met in respect of a relevant period, a relevant public sector employer must publish the information that comprises the response to the questions, or request for information, set out in Schedule 2 in respect of that period as it applies to that employer.

    Must§ Regulation 8(1)

  • The information must be published, together with the questions, or request for information, in the form indicated in Schedule 2.

    Must§ Regulation 8(3)

Show 7 more from this source
  • The information must be published by being— a placed on a website maintained by or on behalf of the employer before 31st July in the calendar year in which the relevant period to which the information relates ends; and b included in the employer’s annual report which covers the relevant period, where the employer produces an annual report.

    Must§ Regulation 8(4)

  • If the information is not, by virtue of paragraph (4), placed on a website maintained by or on behalf of the Government of the United Kingdom, the employer must also cause it to be placed on such a website before 31st July in the calendar year in which the relevant period to which the information relates ends.

    Must§ Regulation 8(5)

  • What was the total number of your employees who were relevant union officials during the relevant period?

    Must§ Schedule 2, Table 1 'Relevant union officials'

  • How many of your employees who were relevant union officials employed during the relevant period spent a) 0%, b) 1%-50%, c) 51%-99% or d) 100% of their working hours on facility time?

    Must§ Schedule 2, Table 2 'Percentage of time spent on facility time'

  • Provide the figures requested in the first column of the table below to determine the percentage of your total pay bill spent on paying employees who were relevant union officials for facility time during the relevant period.

    Must§ Schedule 2, Table 3 'Percentage of pay bill spent on facility time'

  • As a percentage of total paid facility time hours, how many hours were spent by employees who were relevant union officials during the relevant period on paid trade union activities?

    Must§ Schedule 2, Table 4 'Paid trade union activities'

  • “relevant period” means a period of 12 months beginning with 1st April, and the first relevant period begins on 1st April 2017;

    Must§ Regulation 2

Questions schools ask

Does every school have to publish the trade union facility time report?

The official sources we check set no requirement for academies. The official sources we check set no requirement for maintained schools. It only applies to employers with 50 or more staff.

When does the trade union facility time report need to be published?

How often: Every year. Due by: 31 July each year.

What must the trade union facility time report include?

Gives the number of employees who were relevant union officials; Gives the percentage of working hours union officials spent on facility time; Gives the percentage of the pay bill spent on facility time; Gives the hours union officials spent on paid trade union activities; Publishes the facility time report in the Schedule 2 format with its questions.

Where does the requirement for the trade union facility time report come from?

It is set out in Trade Union (Facility Time Publication Requirements) Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/328).

Changes to the official sources

The sources for this item do not publish dated change notes. Their current versions are listed above.

We last checked these sources on 21 September 2026.

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Official wording that does not apply to schools (1)
– What academies and further education colleges must or should publish online
Academy trust handbook 2025 (effective 1 September 2025)§ What else should you readVersion 2025gov.uk ↗

Official sources last checked 21 September 2026 · register version 1.0.4