Met police employees voted to take strike action

Metropolitan Police staff have voted to go on strike over office work.

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) ballot showed overwhelming support for industrial action, with 85% of members saying yes to taking strike action and 91% voting for action short of strike.

PCS said it reflected the depth of feeling after managers overturned an existing agreement on mixed working, which had allowed staff to work from home part of the week.

The new policy, which the union says requires staff to work in the office 60% to 100% of the time, will affect 2,400 people who support the day-to-day work of police officers.

PCS said the policy “disproportionately impacts” women, part-time workers and people with disabilities.

According to the union, it is the first time that Met Police staff have voted for industrial action.

The Met Police previously said staff were asked to extend their time in the office, Supporting the front line and improving public trust,

Scotland Yard has not yet responded to the BBC’s request for comment, but a Metropolitan Police spokesperson quoted in the telegraph Saying: “Our plans will deliver sustainability across the Met and ensure we can deliver for our communities.

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

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Our members are out of touch.

“They are desk-based citizens who work as productively from home as if they were in the office, but without the stress and cost of a daily commute.”

He added, “It’s time that politicians and right-wing media stop being obsessed with telling people where to work and start listening to the evidence from academics, employers and employees that shows that working from home is Doing so is a perfectly viable option for many people.”