Civil servants working for Angela Rayner have launched industrial action over London office closures and being told they cannot work from home.
Officials in the housing secretary and deputy prime minister’s department will launch their protest on Monday.
They are said to be concerned that “location-neutral” contracts, which allow remote working, are being scrapped, while government offices in the capital are set to shut and staff moved out of the city.
Employees at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) are understood to be particularly upset by the working from home ban because Ms Rayner has led Labour’s workers’ reforms, which will include the right to request flexible working.
About 77% of staff in the department are in the office on any given day, government data shows.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, the largest in the civil service, said indefinite “work to rule” action would begin next week.
PCS president Martin Cavanagh said: “From removing staff from an office before the lease expires to spuriously challenging lawful notices of industrial action, the employer seems intent to avoid proper consultation, disregard fair process and alienate its staff.
“Closing local offices while rigidly enforcing mandatory office attendance doesn’t make sense. The way out of this dispute is to negotiate, not frustrate.”
Some 12,000 Government jobs are set to be shifted from London to new regional "campuses" across the country.
Under plans announced on Wednesday, 11 Government office buildings in the city will also close in a bid to make £94 million of savings a year by 2032. Among those set to shut is 102 Petty France, one of the largest civil service offices in the capital and the work place of around 7,000 people at the Ministry of Justice, HM Courts and Tribunal Service, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Government Legal Department.
A MHCLG spokesperson said: “We have engaged with unions and staff about a number of proposals – including plans to expand four offices outside of London and close six offices over the next two years, as leases come to an end.
“The department will continue to have offices in every English region as well as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and all staff affected will be able to continue in their roles.”
