PCS has delayed its strike ballot over pay at the Department for Work and Pensions after the department challenged its ballot notice over inaccuracies.
The union was originally planning to begin its ballot of members on Monday, but has now postponed this to 19 January following the challenge.
PCS’s DWP group served notice to DWP of its intention to ballot members over pay on 12 December and said the department challenged this on 31 December.
The union accused DWP of using "anti-trade union legislation" introduced by the Conservative government in 2016 to “block” the ballot.
The Tories’ Trade Union Act 2016 introduced a requirement for unions to provide employers with the number of ballotable members within every office. In this instance, PCS gave notice of 766 offices that were to be balloted.
The DWP challenged the ballot notice over inaccuracies in the information given, which it argued would affect its ability to understand which workplaces are impacted, enabling it to plan accordingly and continue to support DWP’s customers during any action.
PCS said it believes there is no legal requirement for it to provide every office address, since the law works on a “reasonable knowledge” basis.
The union said it "believes that this is a tactical move to delay the ballot, because DWP are running scared".
“DWP bosses have unconvincingly told us that we provided information that senior managers cannot understand,” PCS said in a news update. “Yet instead of allowing them to tie us up in litigation, we have decided to pull back for a short period.”
DWP group president Angela Grant said: “Rather than admit it is paying poverty wages, holding its hands up, and asking the Treasury for money for a pay increase, the DWP has moved to put obstacles in our way.
“We will use the information they have provided to update our systems, ensure we are even better prepared to smash this ballot, then take action that will thwart their planned transformation."
A DWP spokesperson said: "We are committed to ensuring that all processes are conducted fairly and transparently, in compliance with legal requirements.
“Our current pay award reflects our commitment to providing competitive pay and creating a supportive working environment for all our employees.”