Back-to-work row
...but defiant unions issue new warning over his civil service push
BORIS Johnson was on a collision course with the unions last night as he prepared a fresh push next week to get all civil servants back to their desks to ‘set an example’.
Downing Street sources said the Prime Minister was determined to get ‘every’ official back to demonstrate a safe return to work is possible.
However, unions have warned that any attempt to force civil servants to return could result in ‘industrial unrest’.
Britain’s human rights watchdog also signalled its opposition, saying the country had proved it could ‘work flexibly’ and ‘we cannot backtrack now’.
The PM ordered departments to draw up plans in July for a phased return to work following the lockdown which saw at least 95 per cent based at home for months. But a Downing Street source acknowledged progress had been ‘slow’.
They said: ‘You will see a more firm direction to Whitehall to get back to the office next week. The Prime Minister is very keen on getting more people back to the workplace.
‘The main focus has to be on getting every civil servant back at their desk. It sets an example to the rest of the country and demonstrates that it can be done safely. The process has started but it has been slow. It will be accelerated now because this is a priority for the PM.’
The move will be seen as a slap-down for Health Secretary Matt Hancock who broke with the Government position this week by saying he was happy for his officials to continue working from home as long as they could operate effectively.
No official figures are available for civil servants who have returned to work so far, but insiders suggest it may be as low as 10 per cent. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps yesterday ducked questions on his officials, but said he hoped the figure would rise to 20 per cent next week.
Ministers face a fight with the unions over the back-to-work push. Dave Penman, of the FDA which represents senior civil servants, said: ‘Ministers are increasingly sounding like dinosaurs. Millions of employees are working from home very successfully whilst employers are recognising that the world of work has changed and are embracing it. The genie won’t fit back in the bottle – best not to try.’
The Public and Commercial Services Union, the largest in the civil service, previously warned that any bid to get officials back to work could lead to ‘industrial unrest’. General secretary Mark Serwotka has written to the Government saying it is potentially illegal to move staff from one working place to another that is less safe. A union official predicted that, despite the tough line from No10, departments would not get most staff back this year, adding: ‘We know there’s pressure.
‘We’ve seen a change in tone. But a lot of departments have been quite clear – regardless of the politics, they will not see people coming back to offices that are not Covid- secure. They’re definitely not going to get back this year.’
Ministers faced a backlash yesterday over reports that a Government publicity campaign would warn workers they could lose their jobs if they fail to return to the office. No10 distanced itself from the suggestion the campaign would indicate people working from home are risking the sack, saying it was ‘deeply irresponsible’.
Sources said the campaign would feature adverts in local newspapers next week urging employers to make sure workplaces are Covid- secure and encouraging people to think about going back.
But one minister told The Daily Telegraph those working from home could be more ‘vulnerable’ in any company restructuring. The Equality and Human Rights Commission said there should be ‘no question of people’s jobs being vulnerable if they do not return to the office’. Its interim chairman Caroline Waters said: ‘Having seen how it is possible to work flexibly and retain productivity, we cannot backtrack now.’
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would not ‘intimidate people back to work’.
The Labour-run Welsh government yesterday said it would continue to advise people to work from home ‘where possible’.
‘Sets an example to the country’