A strike ballot called in opposition to the Department for Education’s plans to close six regional offices has failed to secure a high-enough turnout for industrial action to be legal.
PCS, the civil service’s biggest union, launched the ballot process in May in a campaign to secure the future of departmental bases in Croydon, Exeter, Leeds, Newcastle, Peterborough and Watford. It said DfE’s plans put dozens of staff at risk of redundancy and would require hundreds to relocate to new workplaces.
The ballot closed earlier this week. Results published yesterday show that while 74.7% of those who voted were in favour of strike action, turnout was only 39.2% – significantly below the 50% required for strike action to be legal.
PCS described the situation as “unfortunate” in the face of “overwhelming” support for strike action expressed by members who participated in the ballot.
In April a PCS strike ballot opposing the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s controversial FDCO 2030 restructuring programme narrowly missed the 50% threshold, with a 48.4% turnout. A re-ballot managed to get across the line and strike action is now under way.
PCS has not indicated whether a new ballot could take place at DfE.
Civil Service World sought a DfE response to PCS’s strike ballot result. It had not provided one at the time of publication.
Burnham faces call for 50% threshold to be scrapped
Earlier this week, PCS urged new prime minister Andy Burnham to scrap the 50% threshold for strike action and introduce electronic balloting for union members.
PCS is part of a campaigning coalition of national unions that wrote to Burnham asking him to follow through on the Labour Party’s 2024 general election manifesto commitment to fully repeal the most recent anti-union legislation and introduce positive reforms.
The Trade Union Co-ordinating Group letter told Burnham that his administration must prioritise a rollout of e-balloting and a removal of the 50% ballot threshold to ensure that “trade union law and regulation is fit-for-purpose in the 21st century”.
Fran Heathcote, general secretary of PCS, acknowledged Labour’s efforts to date but said more action is required in terms of shifting industrial power towards workers.
"Although we welcome many of the Employment Rights Act reforms, it is clear that it does not go far enough, particularly on sectoral collective bargaining and abolishing all anti-trade union laws,” she said.
“With a new prime minister and new cabinet, we must ensure that, as a collective, unions are demanding this legislation goes further and our rights fully restored.”