Friday, November 1, 2024

Met Police civilian staff to hold strike vote over back to office order

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Civilian workers at the Met are to hold a vote for strike action over an order that they work from home less in the new year.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union is balloting 2,400 members who work for the Met in roles that support front line officers.

The order means that some workers will be forced to return to the office full time while others will have to increase the number of days they go in.

The new order disproportionately affects women, part-time workers and those with disabilities, the PCS claims.

PCS members working at the Office of National Statistics have voted for strike action over compulsory office attendance, while members at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are campaigning for a four-day working week.

The Met strike ballot opens on November 6, with the result expected on December 10.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Yet again we are seeing an arbitrary figure chosen to decide how many days a week our members have to come into the office, when they are working perfectly well from home.

“There is no evidence people work better in the office. In fact, the opposite is true because workers are more productive when they have a better work-life balance, not having a stressful commute and able to spend more time with their family at home before and after work.

“It’s not too late for the Met to change their mind and return to the blended working model that has been so successful for many years.”

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