MHCLG officials join Defra colleagues in campaigning for four-day week

Around 10% of staff sign petition calling for shorter working week with no reduction in pay
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By Tevye Markson

25 Oct 2024

More than 500 officials at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have signed a petition calling for a four-day week.

The civil servants, who are members of the PCS union, have joined colleagues in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in campaigning to be able to work 80% of their hours for 100% of their pay.

MHCLG has a headcount of 4,715, according to the latest statistics, meaning the more than 500 signatures represents more than 10% of the department’s workforce.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “A four-day week benefits both the employer and the employee. Employers offering a four-day week have better staff retention, find recruiting easier and lose less to sick days.

“A four-day week would give workers an additional day to spend how they like. For parents or those with caring responsibilities, care costs can be reduced and more time away from work to do the things we enjoy means less burnout, better health and a better quality of life.”

Two of the MHCLG employees who have signed the petition have spoken about the impact the change could have on them and other civil servants.  

Ben, an MHCLG official who is a PCS rep for the department, said: “A four-day week with same pay would make my dream of having children much more realistic. My partner and I would like to have children, but right now it seems impossible.

“Fewer days in the office would mean we could share childcare responsibilities, and I could avoid burnout with the other pressures of modern life.”

Caitlin, another PCS rep at MHCLG, said she “constantly” hears from officials who are “struggling with balancing work, caring requirements, raising a family, or managing health conditions”.

“Lots of our members who are parents have reduced their hours already because they have to, but are then forced to manage sky high childcare bills on reduced pay,” she added.

“A four-day week is badly needed at MHCLG to create a healthier and more equal workplace.”

An MHCLG spokesperson said: “This is not government policy or something we are considering.

“The government is already taking clear steps to enhance workers’ rights with our Employment Rights Bill which will drive economic growth and support more people into secure work.”

MHCLG has been in a dispute with South Cambridgeshire District Council over its trial of four-day-week working. It asked the council to end the trial and imposed a special-measures regime in November last year when the council refused. The new government has kept the Best Value Notice in place

The petition by MHCLG officials follows a similar petition launched by Defra staff and PCS last year. The union said in March that it had made progress on this, agreeing to provide evidence of the benefits – including value-for-money – of introducing a four-day week at Defra “as part of ongoing discussions about the feasibility of such a scheme”.

In response, Defra said there are “no plans” for a four-day work week in the department. 

In July, John Glen, who was the minister for the Cabinet Office under the previous Conservative government, asked Cabinet Office ministers "whether it is [their] policy that civil servants should work a four-day week on full pay".

Georgia Gould, part of the new Cabinet Office ministerial team, said: "It is not government policy that civil servants should work a four-day week on full pay."

She added: "The government is committed to supporting individuals and businesses to work in ways that best suit their particular circumstances while also ensuring that it provides value for money for the public."

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