A survey of Forestry Commission staff who are members of the PCS union has shown strong support for the introduction of a reduced working week with no loss of pay.
PCS, which is the civil service’s biggest union, said the survey had been conducted at the request of management. It said the introduction of a shorter working week without salary reductions had been a feature of pay negotiations for the past two years, and Forestry Commission leaders had sought evidence of interest from union members.
PCS said its member survey had found a “resounding” 93% of respondents in favour of reduced hours with no loss of pay. It would not specify how many Forestry Commission officials took part in the survey, which was conducted in October and November, but described turnout as “strong”.
The union said that successful trials in the Scottish public sector – and at South Cambridgeshire District Council, which has now permanently adopted a four-day-week model – showed productivity did not reduce but staff morale and retention were boosted.
It added that the union’s Efra Group – short for environment, food and rural affairs – had secured “pivotal” data to support its campaign for a four-day-week.
PCS said that modelling indicated staff turnover could reduce by 57% and absenteeism could go down by 65%, resulting in an overall saving to the government of approximately £3.6bn, with additional benefits for staff.
“A reduced working week would allow for better inclusivity for women and those with caring responsibilities, reducing time away from young families, reducing child-care costs and creating a working environment that supports women and reduces employment disparities,” the union said.
“Not only would a reduced working week assist with government savings, increasing inclusion and improving wellbeing, but it would also assist with reducing the carbon footprint of each employer in the Efra Group.”
Liberal Democrat-run South Cambridgeshire District Council made its four-day-week pilot permanent last summer. An independent evaluation of the pilot, conducted by academics from Cambridge University and the University of Salford, found staff turnover dropped by 39% and applications for jobs increased by 53% in the first three months of the trial.
The authority said in July that it is saving just under £400,000 a year because of its new-found ability to fill vacancies, with efficiencies mainly due to reduced need for expensive agency workers.
The academic analysis of the pilot found performance either improved or remained stable in 22 of 24 service areas. The two exceptions were rent collection and the average number of days required to re-let housing stock.
South Cambridgeshire’s trial drew fierce opposition from the last Conservative government, which threatened financial penalties for authorities that followed suit.
Last month, communities secretary Steve Reed wrote to council leaders across England in a bid to make the Starmer administration’s opposition to four-day-week working at councils “unambiguously clear”.
Reed said council staff undertaking part-time work for full-time pay without compelling justification would be “considered an indicator, among a wide range of factors, of potential failure”.
The Sunak administration made South Cambridgeshire subject to a Best Value Notice as part of its opposition to the then four-day-week pilot.
The measure required the council to submit hundreds of pieces of performance data relating to its operations every week on the basis that its new working arrangements could be at odds with the Best Value Duty placed on authorities under the Local Government Act 1999.
The new Labour government did not renew the Best Value Notice when it lapsed in autumn of 2024.
The Forestry Commission played down the likelihood of the organisation adopting a radically different working model, but said that it offered “a number of options” to support staff in working flexibly, as well as supported leave arrangements.
A spokesperson said: “The wellbeing of our skilled staff is a top priority but there no plans for a four-day working week.”