A Bitter Pill to Swallow: Absence agreements in the UK

This interim report was compiled following the preliminary analysis of a survey1 of 834 UNISON safety representatives across the UK and a variety of case studies in respect of absence agreements. Through a multi-method approach, the research sought to achieve a number of objectives. The survey was designed not only as a research instrument that aimed to answer specific research questions and establish associations, it was also designed as a practical auditing tool for UNISON to collate detailed information about their safety reps so as to advice future policy in this area; the research succeeded in achieving this goal.