Over 1,180 Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) members in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will strike in September over office closures, recruitment strategy and attendance policies rolled out by the department without union consultation.
The strike will take place on 1st September, the day ministers return from parliamentary recess. Further action will take place between 2nd and 25th September, including a strike by 170 staff and other long-running action short of a strike.
PCS members are calling for a halt to proposed office closures in Birmingham, Exeter, Newcastle, Sheffield, Truro, and Warrington, or an assurance that no member of staff affected by any prospective closure will suffer a loss of income. They are also asking for a consultation on recruitment policies to prevent ‘deliberate de-staffing’ of offices.
Members are also asking for a protected 40% attendance requirement, improved flexibility for staff who are parents, carers or experiencing financial hardship, and commitment to default remote working for new staff who live with a disability.
The PCS says department bosses refuse to act on the demands without ministerial direction, and claims Angela Rayner refuses to meet employees to discuss the issues.
‘Office closures do nothing to serve the department’s goal of tackling regional inequalities’, PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said:
“Ministers will see staff speak with their feet when they return from recess. Senior management have been clear: they will not seek to resolve this dispute without ministerial direction. Angela Rayner talks the talk regarding workers’ rights, she must now walk the walk and intervene to resolve this dispute.”
