Nearly 15,000 public sector workers enjoyed paid leave to moonlight as trade unionists with more than 1,000 devoting their entire time on union causes

Feb 16, 2026 - 17:52

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Nearly 15,000 public sector workers enjoyed paid leave to moonlight as trade unionists with more than 1,000 devoting their entire time on union causes

Nearly 15,000 public sector workers were given paid leave to moonlight as trade unionists helping plot strikes last year, with more than 1,000 devoting their entire time to union causes.

New studies have shown that around £90million of taxpayers' cash was spent by councils, schools, Whitehall departments and the NHS last year alone to cover the cost of staff involved with trade union work.

Of more than 20,000 union representatives embedded in public bodies, 14,976 (74 per cent) enjoyed paid leave to engage with union activities, according to the Daily Mail.

The figure includes around 3,000 NHS workers.

Nearly 1,000 of those devoted almost all of their time to working towards union causes rather than public services, while 2,258 spent more than half of their hours on union projects.

NHS resident doctors have embarked on 14 separate strikes since 2023, including multiple last year.

The most recent, during December 2025, came during a major surge in flu cases, with ministers accusing the union of deliberately timing the strike to cause maximum damage to the NHS.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting admitted the latest rounds of strikes have cost the NHS £250million already - forecasters estimate this could cost up to £1billion within just a few years if walkouts continue.

It means taxpayers have helped fund strikes that have wreaked havoc on public services, with resident doctors walking out for up to five days at a time, HM Revenue and Customs strikes and bin collectors' industrial action.

Known as "facility time", the arrangement allows for public sector workers to continue to be paid their wages while engaging in union activities.

A Reform UK spokesman told GB News: "These figures are staggering. At a time when patients can’t get GP appointments, waiting lists remain high and bin collections are disrupted, taxpayers are being forced to foot a £90million bill so nearly 15,000 public sector employees can take paid time off for union activity.

"It’s clear that under Labour, union interests are being prioritised over the public interest. Reform UK believes public money should be spent on frontline services not funding trade union work."

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Official figures show nearly £19million was spent by the NHS on staff to moonlight as trade unionists, up 10 per cent from when the Tories were in No10.

Over 300 (305 total) of these spent more than half their working hours dedicated to trade unions, while 172 spent their entire time on union interests.

In contrast, local councils spent £29.4million on "facility time" last year, with more than 3,000 council workers enjoying at least some paid leave to spend time on union activities.

The public body with the largest number of union representatives embedded in the organisation was the Department for Work and Pensions, with 1,014.

John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Taxpayers have long been livid about the extent to which trade unions have taken over public sector bodies, with most organisations putting paid-up union employees on the payroll.

"It is particularly shocking that NHS trusts, so frequently moaning about a lack of resources, are some of the worst offenders, as these figures show.

"The NHS needs to cut down on facility time, and at the very least ban staff working more than 50 per cent of their hours for a union."

A Government spokesman said: "We are investing record levels into our NHS to cut waiting lists and get patients seen on time, with more doctors and nurses on the front line.

"As a proportion of pay, these costs are in line with previous years."

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