A Conservative government would offer up to 15 million workers three days’ paid leave a year for volunteering, David Cameron has announced today.
However the shadow minister for civil society has questioned how public sector leave will be paid for.
The move would mean that every public sector worker and anyone working in a company with at least 250 employees, would be entitled to the volunteering leave.
Workers would be able to use the paid leave to carry out charity work, or other activities such as being a school governor, which would create up to an extra 360 million volunteering hours.
Cameron has described it as “Big Society in action”, a theme which was prominent in the 2010 election.
Cameron said: “This election is about building a better future for our children and grandchildren. The foundation stone of that better future is our economic security. But Conservatives know the society we build on top of that is just as important too.
“That’s why today’s announcement is a double win. It’s good for our economy, as it will help create a better, more motivated workforce. And it’s good for our society too, as it will strengthen communities and the bonds between us.
“This is the clearest demonstration of the Big Society in action – and I’m proud it’s a Conservative Government that will deliver it.”
The announcement has been welcomed by both NCVO and Acevo, however Lisa Nandy, shadow minister for Civil Society, has criticised the “re-announcement”.
Nandy said that the announcement from Cameron has unravelled before it has even been made. She said that by giving every public sector servant three extra days off it could cost millions of pounds and there is “no sense of how it will be paid for”.
She said that if even half of public sector workers took this up, it would be the equivalent of around 2,000 nurses, 800 police and 3,000 teachers.
“And we’ve been here before. Before the last election David Cameron made promise after promise about volunteering as part of his so-called big idea the ‘Big Society’ - he made this same promise in 2008 when he said he wanted to give public servants time off. Since then this has become just another broken promise with volunteering falling under the Tories,” Nandy said.
'Exciting proposal'
However, Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO, said it was an “exciting proposal which would be good news for charities and for businesses”.
He went on to say: “Many charities urgently need more volunteers to support their work, while volunteering is an excellent way for employees to develop skills and confidence that will benefit their employers.
“Anything that helps encourage our culture of volunteering is very welcome. We look forward to seeing the detail of the proposal.”
Asheem Singh, director of policy at Acevo, said: “This is exciting news – it recognises the crucial role of charities in building a better society. The workplace is a new frontier for social action, and this new legal right will help support a new generation of socially responsible citizens.”
The Charities Aid Foundation said that the announcement was a welcome step towards promoting volunteering.
Its chief executive John Low said: "Charities across Britain rely on the dedication and determination of volunteers to make a difference and action designed to get more people involved in volunteering should be applauded."
