Met Police staff vote to strike amid work from home row
11 December 2024, 22:39
Met Police staff have voted to strike amid a row over working from home.
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The PCS union accused managers of backtracking on an existing deal that meant 2,400 civilian staff would be able to work from home for part of the week.
A ballot showed overwhelming support for strike action, with 85% of PCS members voting in favour of it and 91% voting for action short of a strike.
It comes after the introduction of a new policy, which requires staff to be in the office for three to five days a week, depending on where they work.
The union said it "disproportionately impacts" women, part-time workers and those with disabilities.
It marks the first time Met Police employees have voted in favour of industrial action.
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Read more: Met Police could lose 2,000 officers as force's budget 'may be slashed by £450 million'
#PCS members at the Met Police vote for strike action over a forced return to offices.
— PCS Union (pcs.org.uk) (@pcs_union) December 11, 2024
The employer is forcing civilian staff to return to offices for between 60% and 100%.https://t.co/Sku4AWlEOC pic.twitter.com/9AbPbqeJdf
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: "Our members are not bobbies on the beat.
"They are desk-based civilians who work from home just as productively as if they were in the office but without the stress and cost of a daily commute.
"It’s time politicians and the Right-wing media stopped their obsession with telling people where they have to work and started listening to the evidence of academics, employers and employees that shows working from home is a perfectly viable option for many people."
A Met Police spokesman said: "We are disappointed the union felt such action was necessary, but want to reassure Londoners we have contingencies in place to keep them safe.
"Our policy doesn’t end working from home, we have given staff and officers in support roles the ability to work from home up to two days a week.
"Our plans will provide consistency across the Met and ensure we can deliver for our communities.
"Although the threshold for strike action has been met, it doesn’t have to go ahead and we urge our staff and the union not to take further action."
