FOI Request - Trade Union Business

Request 101003925825

1. The details of any office accommodation your organisation provides to staff to carry out trade union business. Please include details of:

a) space measured in square feet
b) how much of this space is contained within entirely separate buildings (i.e. occupied solely by staff carrying out trade union business)
c) whether a professional valuation of the market rental value of the space has been sought either in-house or externally, and if so, what the valuation of the space was
d) any charges the council levy for office space given to trade unions.

2. Do you deduct trade union subscriptions for any of your employees via payroll (sometimes known as the "check off" system)?

a) If so, do you charge a fee to the trade unions concerned for providing this service?

3. With regard to trade union facility time, please provide the total cost of facility time from your pay bill for the financial year 2024/25 and the budget for the current financial year.

4. Please also advise the current number of employees that you fund to be union officials, measured as full time equivalents? (For guidance on definitions please refer to the Government's Transparency Code for local government: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-government-transparency-code-2015/local-government-transparency-code-2015)

5. Please advise any estimates for other costs met for those staff on trade union facility time apart from salaries - including travel expenses, office supplies, telephone expenses and energy bills.

Response 25-06-2026

1.a) Office space is provided within the Council HQ building along with an additional facility at a depot. Details are not held. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.

b) None of this is provided in a separate building. There are two rooms available for Unison and 1 for EIS. They are in HQ Elgin and Ashgrove Depot.

c) No valuation of these spaces has been undertaken

d) There are no charges for the occupation of the spaces.

2. Yes

a) We did up till 17 February 2026. The Employment Rights Act ceased this practice from 18 February 2026

3.            2024/25 - Education Facility Time = £88,979,97                   Education pay bill £72,785,751
               2024/25 - SJC Facility Time = £68,226.75                                           Pay bill £126,961,862

4. The number is between 1 and 5; low numbers may lead to the identification of individuals. This information is therefore exempt under Section 38(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Personal Information.

5. No claims are made via payroll for any expenses for trade union activity