Labour must allow civil servants the flexibility to work from home by eliminating “arbitrary targets” requiring office attendance for a set number of days each week, union chiefs have asserted.
Union leaders are urging Sir Keir Starmer to overturn the previous government’s policy of mandating civil servants to be in the office for the majority of the week.
Fran Heathcote, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, stated, “Evidence shows productivity rises when employers consider the needs of workers. Setting arbitrary targets about office attendance does nothing to help productivity.”
The PCS is leading the charge against Britain’s official statistics body after it mandated staff to be in the office for two days a week.
Paul Nowak, of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), welcomed what he perceives as a change in attitude towards the civil service since Labour’s victory earlier this month. Recent civil service job adverts have indicated a requirement for office presence for just two days a week.
Nowak suggested that Labour “should follow the example of thousands of other employers and negotiate working arrangements with their staff and unions. Civil servants are more than capable of working flexibly and performing their duties effectively.”
Labour’s potential shift on working from home could be unexpected, particularly after Jonathan Ashworth, now chief executive of think tank Labour Together, stated that Labour would prefer civil servants to spend most of their time in the office.
Earlier this month, Ashworth deemed it “sensible” for civil servants to spend at least 60% of their week in the office, aligning with the previous Conservative stance.
Conservative ministers had attempted to dismantle the Tuesday-to-Thursday office culture in Whitehall due to concerns that remote working was harming public sector productivity. However, the PCS has resisted, arguing that workers should not be compelled to adhere to the new Office for National Statistics (ONS) rule of two days in the office per week.
Heathcote noted that some ONS workers accepted their roles because they had the option of full-time remote work.
A Labour insider mentioned that ministers are not prioritising “arguments about working arrangements or lanyards” and that previous arrangements remain unchanged. The publication of office occupancy data across civil service departments was paused during the pre-election period.
A government spokesman stated, “Our entire focus is on delivering change. We will support the civil service with the necessary tools to ensure it can deliver that for working people.”
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Unions demand flexible working for civil servants