People making use of the Conservatives’ planned ‘paid volunteering leave’ will be banned from volunteering at trade unions, the party has said.

The Trades Union Congress this morning welcomed the Tories’ announcement that they would legislate to give employees at large companies three days paid leave in order do work at voluntary organisations.

“The TUC has long called for a Community Day Bank Holiday to encourage volunteering and community engagement,” TUC general secretary Francis O’Grady said.

“We therefore welcome any move that makes employers recognise the benefits of volunteering and social action.

“Trade unions are the UK’s biggest voluntary groups. This new right will give every union member a guaranteed three days for time off to get involved with union activities.”

But hours after the TUC welcomed their new policy a Conservative spokesperson told the Independent that unions would be specifically excluded from using the leave.

“It definitely won’t include trade unions,” the party spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the party would write the trade union ban into the policy’s legislation and emphasised that the Tories were actually working to reduce paid civil service trade union facility time.

The top 10 MPs earning most from second jobs Show all 11 1 /11 The top 10 MPs earning most from second jobs The top 10 MPs earning most from second jobs 1. Gordon Brown: £962,516 Mr Brown states that he does not personally receive any of the money, which a public register of MPs’ earnings states is “being held by the Office of Gordon and Sarah Brown to support (his) ongoing involvement in public life”. Getty Images The top 10 MPs earning most from second jobs 2. Geoffrey Cox: £820,867 Geoffrey Cox, pictured with his dog, has defended his pay for legal work Getty The top 10 MPs earning most from second jobs 3. George Galloway: £303,350 The Bradford West MP makes well-paid appearances on Press TV in Iran and Russia Today BBC The top 10 MPs earning most from second jobs 4. Sir Nicholas Soames: £275,584 The grandson of Sir Winston Churchill is the chairman of controversial private security firm Aegis Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images The top 10 MPs earning most from second jobs 5. Sir Edward Garnier: £275,154 Sir Edward Garnier is the MP for Harborough and a QC The top 10 MPs earning most from second jobs 6. Stephen Phillips: £257,856 Stephen Phillips is the MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham in Lincolnshire and a QC The top 10 MPs earning most from second jobs 7. John Redwood: £207,325 Failed Tory leadership candidate John Redwood holds posts at the Middlesex University Business School, CS Pan Asset Capital Management, EPIC Private Equity and Concentric Getty The top 10 MPs earning most from second jobs 8. Sir Tony Baldry: £190,903 The Banbury MP is also a barrister and holds posts at Woburn Energy, Kazakhstan Kagazy, Werner Capital LLP, Hashoo Group and GNET Group pa The top 10 MPs earning most from second jobs 9. John Hemming: £187,501 The Liberal Democrat MP for Birmingham Yardley and the head of JHC (John Hemming & Co) LLP and John Hemming Trading Rex Features The top 10 MPs earning most from second jobs 10. David Blunkett: £178,945 The Former Home Secretary is also a director of Hadaw Production and Investment Ltd. Getty The top 10 MPs earning most from second jobs The top earning MPs

David Cameron said the policy as a whole was “the clearest demonstration of the Big Society in action - and I'm proud it's a Conservative government that will deliver it”.

The policy would apply to workers at firms with at least 250 staff and give three days paid annual volunteering leave on top of the 28 days paid holiday all workers are already entitled to.

Labour said the policy would cost the civil service millions of pounds.