MHCLG staff to take strike action

Over 1180 PCS members working for the MHCLG will strike on 1 September, the day that ministers return from parliamentary recess. This will be followed by targeted action which will see over 170 staff walk out for four weeks, from 2 September until 25 September.

All members will also continue to take part in action short of a strike.

The dispute centres around office attendance, recruitment and protections for career progression, support for disabled workers, and improvements to the package offered to staff whose offices are earmarked for closure

PCS has been forced to escalate our dispute to strike action because Angela Rayner – a former trade union representative – refuses to meet her own employees.  The strikes will send a firm message about the department’s mishandling of the dispute and unwillingness to compromise.

Local PCS reps have put compromise proposals on the table in good faith with the aim of restarting talks to resolve the dispute, but the department has been clear that it will only seek compromise if directed to do so by ministers. So far, ministers have cancelled scheduled meetings with PCS about this dispute and sought to hide behind senior civil servants, saying they wish to “protect the principles of the relationship between ministers and the civil service.”

PCS reps at MHCLG are seeking:

• alternatives from the department to retain a presence in the locations due to close (in Birmingham, Exeter, Newcastle, Sheffield, Truro, and Warrington) while also guaranteeing that those in offices that have closed suffer no net loss of income or time ahead of these alternatives being developed
• a new recruitment policy to prevent deliberate de-staffing of offices and arbitrary differential treatment
• changes to office attendance policies to give staff enforceable rights, to improve flexibility for staff, including parents, carers or those experiencing financial hardship, and commit to default remote working for staff who need and request it, such as those living with a disability
• guarantees that no member of staff can be disciplined or suffer detriment on the grounds of office attendance, provided they attend an office for at least 40% of their working days (proportionately reduced for those with exceptions or contractual variations).

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Office closures do nothing to serve the department's goal of tackling regional inequalities. Ministers will see staff speak with their feet when they return from recess. Senior management have been clear: they will not seek to resolve this dispute without ministerial direction. Angela Rayner talks the talk regarding workers’ rights; she must now walk the walk and intervene to resolve this dispute.”