The self-styled Taxpayers' Alliance has used Freedom of Information requests to attack trade union facility time. This is another tired old Tory chestnut dug up by the "Alliance" to further its own political interests, at huge cost to the public purse.

Far from costing taxpayers money, trade union involvement has a very positive impact on the workplace. Research commissioned by the Department for Business in 2007 suggested that effective and engaged union representation saves the public purse between £170m and £400m a year by improving retention, training take-up, health and safety, and dispute resolution; and as much as £3.6bn a year through general productivity gains.

Public services are facing savage cut backs and workers have a right to have their voices heard and rightly expect their union reps to be there to help them when they need them most.