Boris Johnson’s hopes of getting people to return to work from 1 August are in serious doubt as the UK’s biggest civil service union warns of “serious industrial unrest” if public servants across the country are pushed to return to their offices too early.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which has 200,000 members, has reacted furiously after being told at a private meeting in Downing Street on Thursday that the Cabinet Office’s permanent secretary, Alex Chisholm, has written to all Whitehall departments, asking them to report back on how they could get more people to return as early as next month.
While the letter made clear it would be left to the discretion of individual departments to decide what was safe, the unions were given the impression that civil servants were being asked to “take the lead” and “set an example” after Johnson announced earlier this month that the “stay at home” guidance would end from 1 August.
A source close to negotiations with government said: “It was clear that this is the big push from the centre to say you should now be accelerating work to bring people back in. On the face of it, this looks like departments are just being asked what their plans are. In reality this is the big push.”
In a letter to the Cabinet Office after the meeting that has been obtained by the Observer the PCS’s general secretary, Mark Serwotka, raises concerns about safety and asks for urgent reassurances about the government’s plans. He also points to “contradictions” between what he sees as the Cabinet Office’s apparent instruction that a return was now required, and an accompanying message that it would be left to individual departments to react as they saw fit.
In the letter, Serwotka warns of dire consequences unless the union’s concerns are met. “This unnecessary and hasty push for an upscaling at workplaces has the potential to create serious industrial unrest,” he says, adding that no consideration had been given to using the Covid-19 crisis to rethink how civil servants could work in future.
“It is clear that this is a political decision to use public sector workers to prop up and maintain an already decaying economic model, regardless of the risks to their safety.” A union source said that balloting members on strike action was not being planned, but neither was it being ruled out. “There are no immediate plans for a ballot, but nothing is off the table.”
Johnson announced 10 days ago that he wanted to begin a return to normality from the start of August, despite misgivings among his senior scientific advisers. Instead of all workers being told to work remotely where possible, the prime minister said people could return at the “discretion” of their employers. They would no longer be advised to stay away from public transport, he added.
The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is known to be deeply frustrated at the cost to the country of running almost empty trains and underground trains, because so many workers in the capital are not coming in to work.
Dave Penman, general secretary of the First Division Association, which represents civil servants of all grades, including many on the highest grades said: “Many civil servants are performing as well, if not more effectively, remotely.”
He added: “Many are coming back to offices for roles that cannot work remotely or they don’t have a suitable home-working environment. Offices and transport cannot cope with a full return and so this next phase needs to be handled carefully. Planning for a partial return can be as, if not more, complicated than the original transition to home working. There will always be work that cannot be done remotely but the future of work was already changing and the last six months has accelerated that.”Most workers in private sector firms are not represented by unions and must rely on company executives to make workplaces safe.
Business lobby groups said that after consulting their members they were concerned that many employers would be unable to bring workers back to town and city centre offices without clearer guidance about how schools would reopen in September and the health risks of travelling on public transport.
Josh Hardie, deputy-director general of the CBI, said recent government guidelines on how to manage workplace environments helped employers reassure staff about their safety at work.
But he said that while “businesses can take the lead in the workplace, changes in messaging on transport and further testing are also vital for building confidence and minimising the risk of a disastrous second wave”.
Claire Walker, a director of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “For many employees, returning to the workplace is contingent on schools reopening, the availability of wraparound care and the capacity of public transport.”
She said many businesses faced huge costs adapting their workplaces to conform with the latest guidelines, and they should be allowed to offset this expense against their tax bill, “which would help many to return to workplaces over the coming months”.
A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said: “We have been working across government to ensure all employers have the right guidance to enable a safe return to workplaces.
“The Cabinet Office, and each department, will need to carry out their own risk assessment for civil servants, just like other employers.It is now up to employers to decide if their workers will need to remain working at home or return to the workplace.”
A government spokesperson said: “Civil servants have worked throughout the pandemic, and have made significant, valuable contributions towards the national effort.
“We are ensuring workplaces are Covid-secure so civil servants can return safely, and are developing plans to make sure departments are productive whilst fully respecting public health rules.”
