Trade Union Facilities Time - Academies Only

At Enfield Schools HR, we coordinate a structured Trade Union Facilities Time approach for academies, free schools, and other non-maintained schools. This service ensures that recognised union representatives can carry out their statutory duties, including consultation, negotiation, and representation, without placing the administrative burden on individual schools.

What the service covers

Schools that buy into the coordinated Trade Union Facilities Time service give their staff access to experienced, recognised branch-level union representatives. These reps provide consultation, negotiation, and representation on a wide range of employment matters including pay, working hours, leave, pensions, equality, job evaluation, and health and safety.

Staff are supported through formal processes such as grievances, disciplinaries, attendance management, restructures, redundancies, and TUPE transfers. Reps also attend management meetings to represent members on policy changes, organisational developments, and working arrangements — helping resolve issues early and constructively.

This service ensures compliance with legal obligations under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, while promoting positive industrial relations across your school or trust.

Benefits of Buying In

For schools, this service simplifies compliance with legal obligations by removing the need to manage local reps or coordinate release time. It reduces administrative burden, ensures consistency across schools, and supports proactive resolution of workplace issues.

For staff, it guarantees access to trained, dedicated union representatives who can offer expert support and representation. The service contributes to a positive working culture, aligns with local authority agreements, and ensures fair, consistent consultation across your organisation.