Fury as Met Police staff vote to strike over right to work from home | United Kingdom | News

Metropolitan Police staff voted to go on strike in protest at being asked to return to the office after working remotely for almost three years – prompting a relative to express anger over to this decision and to emphasize that the agents “risk their lives in the street” each time. day.

More than 50% of the Met’s 2,400-member Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union have backed industrial action, with many saying they should be allowed to continue working from home.

Since 2021, Scotland Yard’s 11,000 civilian employees have benefited from generous hybrid working arrangements, with some spending just two days a week in the office.

However, as part of a drive to better support frontline officers and improve public confidence in the force, senior officials are pushing for a reduction in remote working.

While operational staff, including Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), 999 call handlers, screening officers and child protection staff, will be required to work at least four days per week in the office, support staff in human resources, finance and estates management positions will be required to return at least three days per week.

However, the PCS union, which represents nearly 200,000 public workers, called the move “unreasonable” and warned it would create unnecessary stress and financial burden for workers who have adapted well to remote work.

Union leaders say their members are just as productive working from home and that daily travel is both costly and time-consuming.

However, a senior Met source said The telegraph: “Most Met police officers understand the vital role they play in keeping London safe.

“We have police officers risking their lives on the streets every day, so it is unimaginable that some staff members are not willing to come to the office three days a week.”

The strike vote marks the first time civilian Met Police staff have supported industrial action, and if it were to continue, some frontline officers could be forced to take up civilian duties, potentially compromising public safety.

Senior Met sources have expressed fury and frustration at the potential disruption, saying it undermines efforts to reform the police and provide better services to the public.

Fran Heathcote, general secretary of the PCS union, responded to the criticism by saying: “Our members are not bobbies on the move.

“These are office-based civilians working from home as productively as they would in the office, but without the stress and cost of daily travel.

“It’s time for right-wing politicians and media to abandon their obsession with telling people where they should work and start listening to the testimonies of academics, employers and employees that show working from home is an option perfectly viable for many people.”

Earlier this week it was reported that more than 40% of police jobs currently advertised in England and Wales allow successful candidates to work from home, including in sensitive roles such as those investigating child abuse children and sexual offences.

Senior Met officials are concerned that staff working from home in roles supporting operational police officers could lead to increased pressure on officers themselves.

Additionally, a report published on Tuesday by Sir Mark Rowley, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, revealed that the force faces a budget deficit of £450 million, which could result in the loss of 400 police officers and 2,300 officers.

Such financial pressure has only exacerbated fears that the culture of remote working is an obstacle to the force’s reform agenda and hampering efforts to provide the level of service Londoners expect.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We are disappointed that the union felt such action was necessary, but we would like to reassure Londoners that emergency measures have been put in place to ensure their safety. Our policy does not end working from home.

“We have given staff and officers in support roles the opportunity to work from home for up to two days a week. Our plans will ensure consistency across the Met and ensure we can meet the expectations of our communities .

“Although the strike threshold has been reached, there is no need for the strike to continue and we urge our staff and the union not to take further action.”