Civil servants at the Office for National Statistics who are members of the Prospect union have extended their mandate for industrial action in a long-running dispute over office attendance.
Prospect, which represents specialist civil servants, said its members at the ONS have voted to continue their action short of strike over the department’s push for 40% office attendance.
The union's campaign so far has consisted of non-compliance with the office attendance mandate and work to rule.
Prospect's negotiations officer Nik Males said: “Prospect members are clear that the ONS should urgently review this policy, which was introduced without meaningful consultation and despite clear and consistent opposition from staff.
“We urge the new senior leadership at the ONS to work constructively with Prospect to rebuild confidence, address the damage this policy has caused to morale and trust, and develop a genuinely collaborative approach that supports both the organisation’s aims and its workforce.”
The extension of Prospect members' mandate comes after fellow civil service union PCS last month renewed its mandate for industrial action over the policy, which was introduced last year.
Prospect said its members “remain concerned that the blanket requirement lacks a clear rationale and disproportionately affects those with disabilities, caring responsibilities, or long commutes”.
The union said it has “consistently called for a fair, evidence-based approach where office attendance is driven by purpose, not arbitrary targets”. It said this “reflects the wider work that the union has had across the rest of the public sector to develop a flexible, nuanced approach”.
Prospect also noted that the recent Devereux Review had criticised ONS’s culture of poor engagement and failure to listen to staff and trade unions.
The union said it is continuing to hold talks with the ONS, and “hopes that new senior leadership at ONS will take the opportunity to reset relations and work collaboratively towards a resolution”.
It said it also continues to engage constructively with ONS and the Government Property Agency to make sure offices and regional hubs have appropriate, inclusive workspaces – supporting all staff, including those who are neurodiverse.
The government recently appointed Darren Tierney as the new ONS permanent secretary, after launching a swift civil service-wide internal recruitment campaign for the role, open to perm secs and directors general only, to lead a turnaround of the troubled statistics department.
A spokesperson for the ONS said: “We are working hard to address pressing issues with our key statistics and it is important this dispute is resolved as soon as possible. We are holding detailed discussions with our trade unions to identify a solution.
“A reasonable level of office attendance – in line with the wider civil service – is in the best interests of the ONS and of all our colleagues. Face-to-face interaction helps people to build working relationships and supports collaboration, innovation and learning."