Wolverhampton civil servants set to strike after union accuses Angela Rayner of 'refusing to meet employees'
Civil Servants at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) are set to strike over office closures next month, union bosses say.
Civil Service union PCS says over 1,000 members working for the MHCLG, which has offices in Wolverhampton, will go on strike on September 1 - the day that ministers return from parliamentary recess.
The union has been in dispute with the government since the start of the year over the closure of six offices, which does not include the department's presence at the i9 building in Wolverhampton, as well as "rigid office attendance policies and the withdrawal of location-neutral recruitment" at the department.
Staff at 21 offices have been working on an indefinite "work to rule" basis, involving "working to contract, removing goodwill and non-compliance with non-contractual policies and processes", since March.
“Office closures do nothing to serve the department's goal of tackling regional inequalities," said PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote.
"Ministers will see staff speak with their feet when they return from recess. Senior management have been clear: they will not seek to resolve this dispute without ministerial direction.
"Angela Rayner talks the talk regarding workers’ rights; she must now walk the walk and intervene to resolve this dispute.”
They say the action will be followed by targeted action which will see over 170 staff walk out for four weeks, from September 2.
The government has previously stated that the department was seeking a "more coherent office estate" to help create better career pathways for employees, saying its attendance policy was replicated across the civic service and had not changed since early 2024.
It added that it had engaged with unions and staff on a number of proposals, including the three issues the union had declared to be in dispute.
An MHCLG spokesperson said: “We have engaged and continue to engage extensively with unions and staff to resolve this dispute, and do not believe the current action is an appropriate response to the issues raised.
“We will continue to have an office in every English region as well as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and all staff affected will be able to continue in their roles.
“The approach to office attendance is replicated across the Civil Service and has not changed since early 2024.”
