Strike! Rayner’s housing staff to walk out from Monday

Over 1,180 civil servants working in Housing Secretary Angela Rayner’s department are to strike will strike over office closures and recruitment and attendance policies.

Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) members in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will strike from Monday September 1.

The union alleges that Rayner has refused to meet the union over changes which the PCS claims are being introduced without adequate consultation.

Further action will see over 170 other staff strike from September 2 to 25 while other staff continue long-running action short of a strike. 

The PCS says it wants:

• alternatives from the department to retain a presence in the locations due to close (in Birmingham, Exeter, Newcastle, Sheffield, Truro, and Warrington) while also guaranteeing that those in offices that have closed suffer no net loss of income or time ahead of these alternatives being developed;

• a new recruitment policy to prevent deliberate de-staffing of offices and arbitrary differential treatment;

• changes to office attendance policies to give staff enforceable rights, to improve flexibility for staff, including parents, carers or those experiencing financial hardship, and commit to default remote working for staff who need and request it, such as those living with a disability;

• guarantees that no member of staff can be disciplined or suffer detriment on the grounds of office attendance, provided they attend an office for at least 40% of their working days (proportionately reduced for those with exceptions or contractual variations).

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote says: “Office closures do nothing to serve the department’s goal of tackling regional inequalities. 

“Ministers will see staff speak with their feet when they return from recess. Senior management have been clear: they will not seek to resolve this dispute without ministerial direction. 

“Angela Rayner talks the talk regarding workers’ rights, she must now walk the walk and intervene to resolve this dispute.”

This article is taken from Landlord Today