Met civilian staff to be balloted on strike action

Civilian staff could strike over the return-to-office policy

Civilian staff employed by the Metropolitan Police are being balloted for strike action in a dispute over office working.

The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) has said its 2,400 members are being ordered back to the office in the new year.

Depending on where they work, the increase in office attendance is from 40% to 60%, from 60% to 80% or from 80% to 100%, said the union.

The Met Police has said staff have been asked to increase their time in the office because it should support the front line and improve public trust.

PCS members working at the Office of National Statistics have previously voted for strike action over compulsory office attendance, while members at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are campaigning for a four-day working week.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: "Yet again we are seeing an arbitrary figure chosen to decide how many days a week our members have to come into the office, when they are working perfectly well from home.

"There is no evidence people work better in the office. In fact, the opposite is true because workers are more productive when they have a better work-life balance, not having a stressful commute and able to spend more time with their family at home before and after work."

She added it was "not too late" for the Met to reverse the policy and maintain a "blended working model".

A Met spokesperson said: "Our purpose is to serve London, putting communities and victims at the heart of everything we do.

"Police staff are critical to this mission and we will succeed only by connecting better with the public and our colleagues.

"If strike action goes ahead we have contingencies in place to ensure we can continue to keep London safe."

The ballot opens on 6 November, with the result expected on 10 December.