Civil Servants Threaten to Strike Over Two Days a Week in the Office
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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“has caused anger among staff demoralised by the lack of trust and the need for rapid changes to their childcare and other arrangements.”
Ah, so the real reasons for their belligerence is that avoiding nursery fees that many working parents are stuck with is unfair. And doing the tesco shop during working hours is considered a reasonable use of a taxpayer funded week.
The problem with public services is that give an inch and they take a motorway.
The golden rule that 80% of the work is completed by 20% of the workforce is surely being stretched where civil servants are concerned – 80% of the work doesn’t get done, well how could it when there’s back-to-back ‘Homes under the Hammer’ on the silly box.
Haha!! The old Henry Ford adage when asked how many people he had working for him he replied “oh about half of them”.
Great! Probably very true, though not sure about a half these days.
Bone idle useless wasters. Most of the civil service and its offshoots could be abolished without detriment to society and economy. A key factor in Hong Kong’s estimable post-war economic development was the refusal of Cowperthwaite to allow the government to collect statistical information thereby restricting the scope of the state. Abolish the ONS.
Then sack them. They are responsible for blocking Brexit and keeping the borders open so we should see an improvement without quite a few of them.
https://twitter.com/crowndefensx/status/1763308898633609563
Gorgeous George has two electorates in Rochdale and two different approaches to dealing with the problems in the Borough.
He’s an archangel
graftergrifter. How does he find the time?Why the down votes? They must think that George is a great bloke?
Well this looks interesting if you’re free and not a million miles away. A rally for British culture. Patriots, you need to go flag shopping and attend. I think our Iranian friend, Niyak, might actually have found his tribe. 🙂 You never know, if the numbers are in the hundreds the Met might even get the riot police out for you! 😉
https://twitter.com/TPointUK/status/1768937800672350664
Speak of the devil. Bless him, he’s upgraded to hoodies, which means the yobs will have a challenge tearing that off his body and denying they committed assault, as opposed to just snatching his sign away;
https://twitter.com/GhorbaniiNiyak/status/1769093820828774685
Surely their employment contracts specify office attendance? Or did another useless government department mismanage that?
This is why the country is falling apart, nothing gets done and productivity is at an all time low.
Sack those that refuse to work in the office, they do so little anyway they won’t me missed.
Will anyone notice?
Lazy Barstewards.
The worst thing to happen to this country was the fake pandemic – that gave the lazy public servants the excuse to do even less! Looking at the way this country has deteriorated these past few years its painful to see the destruction!
Excellent! Can thry make the strike permanent please?
Oh poor things, gotta be seen to work 2 days a week. Terrible.
Some do genuinely work from home though I reckon they are few and far between.
(Plays world’s smallest violin)
Those that refuse to go into the office to work should be sacked!
Heaven forbid they go to work a mere two days in the office! The horror!