More than 1,000 ONS workers set to begin industrial action
PCS members based in six offices are angry about being forced to return to the office
More than a thousand Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union members at the Office for National Statistics are tomorrow (May 8) beginning industrial action after being forced back into the office for two days a week.
The almost 1,200 ONS employees based in Newport in South Wales, Titchfield in Hampshire, London, Darlington, Manchester and Edinburgh are refusing to follow a new instruction to spend at least 40% of their time in the office.
They argue the new edict is arbitrary and contrary to guarantees given to staff members that they could continue to work flexibly after the Covid pandemic.
Many of them already willingly spend more than 40% of their working time in the office.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “We want the ONS to take a pragmatic approach to hybrid working, providing flexibility for our members to make the most of both home and office working in a way that best suits them and the work they do.
“Our members have shown for many years their productivity levels have grown without needless commuting simply to meet an arbitrary office attendance target.”
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