Conference agrees to support hybrid working campaigns
The success of ONS branch’s campaign provides a framework that could be used to fight for similar flexibilities for others, conference was told.
Motion A27 on hybrid working noted that progress had been made on hybrid working during and after COVID-19, which was seen as positive for workers, but since then an arbitrary 60% office attendance target has been set in most government departments.
Moving motion A27 for ONS National Branch, Emma told conference about her branch’s long-standing dispute relating to office attendance. This ended in an offer that was overwhelming accepted by members.
Emma said “What the branch have managed to achieve goes beyond what we perhaps privately thought was possible in the darkest days of the campaign. But it is a testament to every hardworking rep, member, and PCS staffer who worked tirelessly to get here.”
The ONS agreement means that colleagues now attend the office when there is a clear and reasonable purpose to do so, and arbitrary individual attendance targets are gone.
Emma said: “It has been a privilege to lead this campaign over the last two years, and to see the true power of trade unionism in action.”
The branch was submitting the motion on behalf of other parts of the civil service. She said: “The agreement within ONS provides a framework that could be used to fight for similar flexibilities for others.”
She continued: “There must be sustained pressure applied to the UK government towards the removal of the attendance mandate.,,, It is important we campaign on this, regardless of whether there are ongoing industrial disputes, because the disputes in themselves are going to be unable to resolve the overarching issue of being forced into a building a percentage of the time to tick a box.”
The motion instructed the NEC to support campaigns for hybrid working and office attendance flexibility, lobby the UK government to end mandatory office attendance and work for contractually protected flexible working for all members.
After support from other speakers, many of whom mentioned the equality impacts of office attendance and the benefits of hybrid working for those with caring responsibilities or health issues, the motion was carried unanimously.