Civil servants vote to strike after bosses ordered them again to the workplace for 3 days per week
Thousands of civil servants have voted to strike after bosses at the Land Registry ordered them back to the office for three days a week.
The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said around 3,800 of its members based in 14 offices had lashed out after being given the new work ultimatum.
It comes after civil servants were allowed to work from home more often, following changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: ‘The Government doesn’t seem to learn that applying arbitrary targets on office attendance doesn’t increase productivity and is unpopular with staff members.
‘If they want a motivated, hard-working workforce, ministers should trust their own employees to have some say over their working conditions, rather than acting like Victorian bosses.
‘It’s not too late for management to avoid strike action by ending this dispute.’
A Land Registry spokesperson said: ‘We have received confirmation of the ballot results but have not yet received notification from PCS of any forthcoming industrial action.
‘HM Land Registry will respond as needed to maintain essential services as we have done during previous periods of industrial action.’
Civil servants have voted to strike over plans to make them return to the office to work (pictured is an empty Home Office in 2022)
The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said around 3,800 of its members based in 14 Land Registry offices were being given the new working hours
Thousands of civil servants have voted to strike after bosses at the Land Registry ordered them back to the office for three days a week
Land Registry registers the ownership of land and property across England and Wales.
It safeguards up to £8trillion of property, with the registry containing more than 26.5 million titles showing evidence of ownership for more than 89 per cent of the land mass of England and Wales.
It’s not immediately known what impact, if any, the strike action could have on those looking to buy or sell their homes.
MailOnline has approached PCS for further comment.
The industrial dispute is the latest to trigger strike action.
PCS members working at the Office of National Statistics have already voted for strike action over compulsory office attendance.
Members at the the Department for Food and Rural Affairs are campaigning for a four-day week after research showed it could deliver more than £20million savings a year.
And workers at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are also fighting for a four-day week.
Last week, staff at the Met Police announced indefinite industrial action over instructions to go into the office on additional unnecessary days.
The dispute – the first time Met Police employees have ever taken industrial action – will see more than 2,400 civilian staff battling against a directive to up their attendance from 40 per cent to 60 per cent, 60 per cent to 80 per cent or from 80 per cent to 100 per cent.
The Land Registry HQs where members voted to strike include: Croydon, Birkenhead, Coventry, Durham, Lancashire, Gloucester, Hull, Leicester, Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Telford, Wales, Weymouth.
