Land Registry workers vote for strike action after being ordered back into the office

Thousands of Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union members working for the Land Registry have voted for strike action after being ordered back to the office for three days a week.

The 3,800 workers based in 14 offices* across England and Wales are also concerned about the employer inappropriately using personal data and having to accept extra responsibilities without extra pay.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said:

“The government doesn’t seem to learn that applying arbitrary targets on office attendance doesn’t increase productivity and is unpopular with staff members.

If they want a motivated, hard-working workforce, ministers should trust their own employees to have some say over their working conditions, rather than acting like Victorian bosses.

“It’s not too late for management to avoid strike action by ending this dispute.”

PCS members working at the Office of National Statistics have already voted for strike action over compulsory office attendance. Members at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are campaigning for a four-day week after research showed it could deliver £20m+ savings a year. Members at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are also campaigning for a four-day week and, last week, members at the Metropolitan Police announced indefinite industrial action over instructions to go into the office on additional unnecessary days.

*Croydon, Birkenhead, Coventry, Durham, Lancashire, Gloucester, Hull, Leicester, Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Telford, Wales, Weymouth