ONS members vote to renew industrial action mandate

In a ballot that closed on Monday (29 September), 69% of Office for National Statistics (ONS) members voted to take strike action, while 92% voted to take action short of a strike (ASOS), on a 65.5% turnout.

Since May 2024, over 1100 PCS members working for the ONS in various locations (Newport in South Wales, Titchfield in Hampshire, London, Darlington, Manchester and Edinburgh) have been taking action short of a strike by refusing to comply with the new attendance policy, which requires them to spend at least 40% of their time in the office.

This action has had no tangible impact on the ONS’s outputs, proving PCS's argument that there was no need for a more restrictive attendance policy. To increase the pressure on the employer, members have also been working-to-rule since August 2024, refusing to work overtime, out of hours or out of grade.

This dispute is symptomatic of wider failings in the organisation, which have attracted criticism from a parliamentary inquiry and the independent Devereaux Review, and are believed to have hastened the departure of the longstanding permanent secretary, Sir Ian Diamond. It is hoped that his recently appointed successor will demonstrate a greater commitment to resolving our dispute.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “This is the fourth time we’ve won a ballot in this dispute, reflecting the resolve among PCS members at ONS to not accept arbitrary office attendance targets.

“These targets do nothing to improve productivity and everything to disrupt the lives of ONS staff. We hope, with this renewed mandate from our members, that the new ONS leadership will now work with us to resolve this dispute and avoid further escalation to strike action.”