The civil service’s biggest union has launched a strike ballot in response to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s plans to close six regional offices.
PCS said the move – which will seek views from more than 1,100 members at the department – also reflects concerns about recruitment policies at MHCLG and office attendance rules.
MHCLG unveiled proposals to close regional bases in Birmingham, Exeter, Newcastle, Sheffield, Truro and Warrington back in November, affecting hundreds of officials.
At the time, the department said the closures would coincide with the expiry of leases at the sites over the coming two years – but would be accompanied by expansion at five other locations.
PCS said the closures programme had left staff at affected offices with an uncertain future, while proposed changes to “location-neutral” recruitment practices had the potential to significantly reduce job opportunities for existing staff across the country.
The union added that the civil service-wide requirement for 60% mandatory office attendance – introduced by the last Conservative government, but maintained by the Starmer administration – had caused “widespread frustration” among staff.
PCS noted that communities secretary and deputy prime minister Angela Rayner is the face of the government’s Employment Rights Bill and Labours plans to “make work pay”.
PCS industrial officer Abe Allen said members at MHCLG needed to send a strong message to departmental leaders about their concerns.
“There’s still time to make progress and prevent escalation, but for that, we need leadership," he said.
“Ministers cannot let these harmful policies drag the department into chaos. A solution is possible, but it starts with members voting ‘yes’. If we need to take action, we won’t hesitate.”
An MHCLG spokesperson said the department had been engaging with unions and staff about a number of proposals – including plans to expand its presence in London, Wolverhampton, Darlington, Manchester and Bristol alongside the closure of the six other offices.
“The department will continue to have offices in every English region, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and all staff affected will be able to continue in their roles in one of these locations," the spokesperson said.
The PCS ballot is open now and runs until 26 March for staff at closure-threatened offices. All other staff have until 9 April to vote.
ONS staff balloted on continuing industrial action
Separately, PCS members at the Office for National Statistics are being balloted on continuing their current work-to-rule protest over the requirement to spend at least 40% of their time working from their designated offices.
Since May last year more than 1,100 members of the union who work at ONS have refused to comply with the 40% requirement, work overtime, operate out of hours or “out of grade”.
The current six-month mandate for action short of strike in the protest runs out next month.
The ballot on continuing the protest – which has the backing of PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote – runs until 31 March.
Heathcote said there is now a collective conciliation process now underway with ACAS to try to resolve the dispute.
"We are engaging in this process in good faith but there is no guarantee of it resolving this dispute," she said. "In the meantime, we need to ensure our dispute can continue by renewing our statutory ballot mandate and securing ongoing protection for our members.”