Taxpayers' group points finger at 'six-figure' union boss salaries

Last year, nine Scottish Government employees were given 100 per cent "facility time" to excuse them from their civil service work and carry out union duties at a cost of 344,718 to the public purse.

The subsidy - equivalent to the payment of an average salary of 38,300 to each employee - was an increase from the previous year, when eight union representatives were granted full time dispensation to do union work such as pay negotiations and settling workplace disputes. The bill for this arrangement came to 317,926 during 2008-9.

Government critics questioned the arrangements and called for the unions to pay the salaries of full time elected members doing work on their behalf.

Data released under freedom of information revealed that elected members from the Public and Commercial Services Union, Prospect and FDA are permitted to carry out union work at taxpayers' expense within the Scottish Government.

Facility time is allowed under UK law as well as forming part of the code of practice employed by the conciliation service Acas to promote better industrial relations.

But as the public sector braces itself for a looming budget squeeze, critics asked whether the costs were appropriate in the current climate.

Scottish Conservative chief whip David McLetchie said: "Many taxpayers will be astonished to learn that over a third of a million pounds of their money goes on paying government employees to be full time union officials."

Lynn Henderson, Scottish secretary of the PCS Union, said: "The partnership works well on both sides and I think represents very good value for money when you look at what it delivers."

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said it had a "partnership agreement" with the appropriate trade unions to help with "effective engagement" in collective bargaining negotiations.