Civil servants at the ONS, Britain’s official statistics body, have threatened to go on strike after being asked to work in the office for two days a week. The Telegraph has more.
More than 1,000 employees at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are being balloted over strike action after bosses told them to stop working from home full time.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, which is spearheading the push for industrial action, has said that many workers come in “several days a week anyway” while others only accepted a job at the ONS “because they were promised the flexibility to work from home”.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “It’s a mystery why managers have changed their minds, especially after having regularly reassured members they could remain working more flexibly.
“No evidence-based business case has been made for their rushed decision – a move that has caused anger among staff demoralised by the lack of trust and the need for rapid changes to their childcare and other arrangements.”
The union has called for talks with ONS management before the strike ballot of its members closes on April 2nd.
It marks the latest pushback from staff who want to continue working from home as bosses increasingly demand an end to remote practices.
Ministers have been trying to pressure Whitehall staff back into the office at least 60% of the time, or three days a week for full-time staff, over fears that working from home has reduced productivity and increased waiting times for services.
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