DVLA Swansea: Wear more clothes, staff told, as heating breaks

About 6,000 people work at the DVLA offices in Morriston, Swansea

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has been accused of "recklessly" telling staff to work in its Swansea HQ after the central heating broke.

Laura Bee, of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, said they have no hot water in toilets and were told to wear more clothes.

The DVLA said staff who feel "uncomfortable" can work from another building.

Ms Bee also said temperatures dropped below 11C (52F) in the building.

UK government guidelines say temperatures should not drop below 16C (61F) in office environments.

More than 200 temporary heaters have been installed to keep employees warm, the department said, and the Health and Safety Executive was satisfied with what it has done.

Laura Bee said there was no hot water in the toilets

But Ms Bee, the industrial officer for transport at PCS, said the fan heaters were only 30cm (12in) high and not good enough for the 15-floor office.

She said they are "the type of fan heater that you would expect to see in a home heating one room".

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She told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast: "Members are quite understandably outraged by the approach that the DVLA are taking.

"The boiler went down last Thursday evening, and there was no communication to staff in advance of them arriving on site on Friday morning."

She added that a lack of hot running water in the toilets meant staff were having to go to the kitchen to wash their hands.

'Unacceptable message'

"It's not lost on us that the DVLA saw the biggest Covid outbreak in the government estate, and we now see reckless actions to keep the site open, despite the fact that staff aren't able to wash their hands after using the toilet facilities, in hot water."

Workers at the DVLA site went on strike in 2021 after hundreds of Covid cases at the office in the Morriston area of Swansea.

Laura Bee said staff were told to wear more clothing by management

She said the building was "not safe" for employees to remain at work.

"It is unacceptable that the message from the senior management team is to wear more clothing," she added.

A DVLA spokesperson said: "The health, safety and welfare of our staff is a priority and we have consulted the Health and Safety Executive who are satisfied with the measures we have taken.

"Temporary heating systems have been installed to ensure staff who are still working onsite are kept warm. Hot water and hot food is also available."

They added: "Any staff who may feel uncomfortable that they can temporarily work from one of our other buildings in Swansea Vale as they are not affected by the temporary heating problems.

What is the law on office temperature?

UK government guidance states workplaces should be kept to a minimum of 16C, or 13C (55F) where physical work is done.

But there is no law for minimum or maximum temperature.

However, employers must stick to health and safety and work law, which includes keeping the temperature at a "comfortable level" and providing "clean and fresh air".

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