Fourth Delegated Legislation Committee

8 September 2026

Contents updated on 8 Sept 2026

Kate Dearden MP formally commends the draft ACAS Code of Practice on time off for trade union duties and activities, with the Chair putting the question to the Committee, after which Shadow Minister Bradley Thomas MP outlines his critique that the revised Code increases regulatory burdens and costs for employers. He argues that expanded paid time off rights and tribunal obligations risk job losses, cites employer survey data on confidence and concerns about union power, links higher union presence to increased strike incidence—particularly in the public sector—and warns of wider economic disruption and impact on the general public.

Fourth Delegated Legislation Committee Tue, 8 Sept 2026 Actual start 14:15 House of Commons

18:27 - 18:42

Speaker 1

how to exercise their rights appropriately. In that sense, the laying of this code is a necessary step to ensure that the changes made by the act last year operate as intended from day one. I therefore support and commend this code of practice to the House.

18:42 - 18:43

Thank you very much.

18:43 - 18:54

Speaker 2

The question is that the committee has considered the draft ACAS code of practice on time off for trade union duties and activities. And I call the shadow minister, Bradley Thomas.

18:54 - 19:29

Speaker 3

Thank you, Sir Jeremy. On the surface, this revision introduces the legal right to reasonable paid time off for union equality representatives, ensures that representatives can hold multiple positions, thus increasing the provisions on which they qualify for more time off, puts a greater onus on employers in tribunals, and legally requires employers to provide reasonable means to support representatives carrying out their jobs. Yet it does far more than this. It burdens businesses with yet more regulatory red tape, decreases employment opportunities further, and compounds the hardship employers are already facing.

The rest of the transcript is for Pro customers

Unlock the full transcript, chat, and every analysis feature with Polyfact Pro.

The video itself stays free to watch, in full, no account needed.

Ask anything about this video — I analyse its transcript to answer.