PCS has asked for staff based at a Department for Work and Pensions building in Wales to be allowed to work from home until they can be reassured the site is safe following concerns about its structural soundness.
The Ty Taff office, at Nantgarw near Cardiff, was closed last month after two windows, one on the third floor and the other on the fourth floor, shattered. Staff were advised to work from alternative locations.
DWP said last week that it had reopened the building after it was declared safe.
But PCS, the civil service’s biggest union, said staff need more reassurance that the office is safe. The union wants DWP to “urgently conduct a full audit” of all safety concerns raised by its reps and close the office until the audit is complete and “the full range of remedial measures are implemented”.
It has asked for staff to be allowed to work from home in the meantime.
PCS said the key concern among its members who work at the office is windows spontaneously breaking and falling out, with three large panes of glass having broken, the two most recent of which fell outwards to the ground below.
The union said the site has been plagued by safety issues since opening in 2020, including flooding, major concerns about electrical safety, doors failing to open, and toilets and lifts being regularly out of order.
PCS has asked for a meeting with key DWP decision makers to explain why members continue to be concerned about safety and to persuade management that staff should be allowed to work from home until they can be reassured that the office is safe to work in.
The union said it also needs to see the survey, so it can be assured that it has been carried out by a suitably and legally competent practitioner and that it offers reassurance that the office is safe.
The union has been advising staff of their rights under Section 44 of the Employment Rights Act, which says that workers have the right not to be subjected to any detriment if they leave or refuse to return to work in circumstances where they reasonably believe there is a “serious and imminent” danger that they could not reasonably avoid.
PCS has also issued a Union Improvement Notice to the building’s managers to force them to improve safety conditions at the office, according to Nation.Cymru.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “The DWP office at Ty Taff has been a disaster since it first opened. Despite PCS raising several health and safety issues over the years, the DWP has failed to remedy the problems.
“We urge the DWP to urgently conduct a full audit of all our reps' safety concerns and close the office until the audit is complete and the full range of remedial measures are implemented.
“The most sensible thing would be to allow them to work from home until staff can be assured that their workplace is safe.”
A DWP spokesperson said: "We take staff and customer safety seriously. The site has reopened after being declared safe by health and safety structural experts.”