Employers and government are failing Britain's workers by denying them paid time off to improve their skills, according a survey by unionlearn.

The report, Making a real difference - union learning reps: a survey, reveals that nearly half (46%) of representatives said that lack of access to paid time off was the biggest barrier to training for workers. Another 12% cited long working hours as being the main obstacle to taking up training.

Liz Smith, director of unionlearn said “We need new legal rights to paid time off to train. Such rights are especially important for those without a qualification at the standard expected of school leavers. And unions should have the right to request that in workplaces with Union Learning Reps employers should enter into a 'learning agreement' with unions, and establish a workplace learning committee, to support the employers workforce development strategies.”

In respect of their own role, over two fifths Union Learning Representatives (ULRs) said that lack of time off was the main barrier, while 16 % said that they were not getting adequate support from employers.

The full survey can be found at www.unionlearn.org.uk.