Angela Rayner's own staff to strike after being told to come into the office more often
28 March 2025, 09:01
Staff in Angela Rayner's own department have voted to go on strike after being told to come into the office more often.
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Union members at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local government backed industrial action four to one, on a two-thirds turnout.
The Public and Commercial Service (PCS) union's strike was due to office closures, and in response to "rigid office attendance policies".
Civil servants were told in October that they must be in the office at least 60% of the time, which works out at three days per week for most people.
The government plans to close offices in Birmingham, Exeter, Newcastle, Sheffield, Truro, and Warrington over the next two years.
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The department is also set to open offices in London, Wolverhampton, Darlington, Manchester and Bristol. All staff will be given the opportunity to relocate.
It comes as Ms Rayner, who is also deputy Prime Minister, tries to get her sweeping Employment Rights Bill passed into law.
The PCS said that the closures "threaten the livelihoods" of some of its members and also remove jobs from "some of the most deprived areas in the country."
The union's general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “These office closures not only threaten the livelihoods of our members but also remove the presence of the government department responsible for local communities from some of the most deprived areas in the country.
"As the main face of the Employment Rights Bill, the Deputy Prime Minister must match her words with action and listen to her own workers.
"Members are deeply concerned about how these closures may affect their ability to rebuild local government, promote regional development and deliver on Labour’s mission to build 1.5 million new homes.
"They stand ready to strike to defend their offices, their communities, and their employment rights."
A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: "We will continue to engage with unions and staff about a number of proposals - including plans to expand five offices outside of London and close six offices over the next two years, as leases come to an end.
"The department will continue to have offices in every English region as well as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and all staff affected will be able to continue in their roles in one of these locations."
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It comes after the fiscal watchdog warned that Ms Rayner's Employments Rights Bill would have a "net negative impact" on the economy.
Labour last year revealed a major package of reforms under the Employment Rights Bill, hailed as the biggest boost to pay and productivity in the workplace in a generation.
But according to the the Office for Budget Responsibility's economic and fiscal outlook for March 2025, the economy will take a hit as a result.
The OBR wrote: "Employment regulation policies that affect the flexibility of businesses and labour markets or the quantity and quality of work will likely have material, and probably net negative, economic impacts on employment, prices, and productivity.
"Given these potentially significant impacts, we will incorporate a central estimate of the aggregate impacts of the policy package in our next forecast."
