Civil servants stage protest over work-from-home ban
Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union working for the department, including those based in London offices, will undertake action short of a strike.
The union has said its campaign is a direct response to the planned closure of six offices, the implementation of "rigid" office attendance policies, and the stopping of location-neutral recruitment practices, which allow remote working.
'From removing staff from an office before the lease expires to spuriously challenging lawful notices of industrial action, the employer seems intent to avoid proper consultation, disregard fair process and alienate its staff,' PCS president Martin Cavanagh said.
'Closing local offices while rigidly enforcing mandatory office attendance doesn't make sense. The way out of this dispute is to negotiate, not frustrate.'
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: 'We have engaged with unions and staff about a number of proposals – including plans to expand four 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.'
The Conservative Party's Alex Burghart, shadow chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, said: 'It speaks volumes that some civil servants are walking out not over pay, but because they're being asked to show up to work and make better use of public buildings.
'Most people can't refuse to travel to their workplace, so why should Whitehall be any different?
'Labour should be clear whether they stand with the unions defending empty desks or with taxpayers who expect a civil service that works for them.'
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