PCS ballots DfE members over office closures and job cuts

That is why members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union are being collectively balloted (see notes) between the 18 February to 11 March in a dispute over DfE’s plans to close six offices — while at the same time enforcing a mandated 60% office attendance requirement and refusing to consider enhanced flexible working arrangements that could protect jobs.

DfE plans to close offices in Croydon, Exeter, Leeds, Newcastle, Peterborough and Watford. The department estimates that 359 staff are directly impacted. Yet proposals for increased homeworking or sensible hybrid flexibility measures that could help avoid compulsory redundancies and reduce the impact on staff are not being considered.

For those affected, the consequences are immediate and personal.

One PCS member currently travels just 20 minutes to their local Leeds office. Under DfE’s proposals, they would instead need to travel to Manchester, a journey that can take well over an hour and up to two hours on busy days by public transport.

They said:

“If I was applying for this job now, I wouldn’t even put Manchester or Sheffield down without considering moving house.”

Other members say DfE has provided no clarity on how their jobs will be protected. Staff are deeply concerned about the impact on childcare, caring responsibilities and their wellbeing. Many warn that adding up to 90 minutes to their working day will inevitably affect morale, productivity and service delivery.

No business case, no mitigation, no guarantees

The union has been in discussion with DfE since August 2025 and were under strict embargo until the announcement was made on the 3 February 2026. From the outset, the union made clear its opposition to office closures that shift the burden of organisational change onto staff.

Despite months of negotiations, DfE has:

• Provided no detailed business rationale beyond generic comments about cost.
• Offered no mitigation plan to protect the department’s work.
• Refused to guarantee there will be no compulsory redundancies.
• Rejected proposals for exceptions to the 60% office attendance requirement, including contractual homeworking.

Many of the affected buildings are government offices that will remain open for other departments. Withdrawing DfE staff will not necessarily generate savings for the public purse if the buildings continue to operate.

Since November 2024, PCS has repeatedly sought a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies in DfE. Such a commitment would give staff certainty and require the department to work meaningfully with unions to avoid job losses, for example, by agreeing exemptions to the 60% attendance policy for staff impacted by the closures.

DfE has provided no clear rationale for refusing this approach.

PCS is calling on DfE to:

• Halt the office closures.
• Provide a cast-iron guarantee of no compulsory redundancies.
• Engage in meaningful negotiations, including flexibility on hybrid and homeworking arrangements.

The consultative ballot opens on 18 February and closes on 11 March. Members in DfE are being asked to vote Yes to stop the office closures, yes to stop the jobs cut and yes to end the 60% arbitrary office attendance requirement imposed by the previous government. This will send a strong message to DfE that they will not accept this detrimental proposal without a fight.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote says:

“DfE cannot close offices, enforce a rigid 60% attendance rule yet refuse flexible working and wash its hands of the consequences. Our members are expected to add hours to their days or face losing their jobs, all without PCS seeing a shred of convincing evidence that this makes financial or operational sense.

“If permanent homeworking to protect staff can be offered elsewhere, why won't DFE do the same? This is a choice. And right now, DfE is choosing to put loyal civil servants in impossible situations rather than work with us on sensible solutions. Our members deserve better.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

For more information or interview enquiries: [email protected] / 07925433496

More member testimonies are available upon request.

Additional information: PCS has written to the Secretary of State to raise concerns that the department’s approach falls below the standards of evidence-based policymaking that DfE itself promotes.

Consultative (collective) ballot:  this is a members vote to gauge an appetite for action on an issue in its current form, before launching a formal industrial action ballot.

Other department approach to office cuts:  Recently, Ofsted closed its Cambridge office and offered all impacted staff permanent home working contracts. Other government departments, including Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, have also provided guarantees against compulsory redundancies in similar circumstances.

Staff expected to leave on the following timeline:

• Exeter - April 2026
• Croydon, Peterborough and Watford – June 2026
• Newcastle – October 2026
• Leeds – November 2026