"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."
"I can't believe I have to make this point, but we are not in lockdown anymore, and we should all be spending more time working together in the office," he added."
"The last Conservative government had clear plans to ensure civil servants were in the office because face-to-face collaboration delivers better outcomes for the public and better value for money."
Whitehall office occupancy fell from an average of 75% in March to 72% in June, with twelve departments reporting declines and five reporting increases. The Cabinet Office saw the largest drop from 98% to 83%, while the Department for Transport fell from 74% to 61% and the Department for Culture from 71% to 62%. Senior figures urged that remote working should be the exception and called for more in-office collaboration. Over 1,180 PCS members in the Ministry for Housing will strike in September over office closures, recruitment strategy and attendance policies. The government maintains that attendance rates have increased across most departments.
Read at www.standard.co.uk
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