Guernsey Press

Minister suggests civil servants should face pay cut for working from home

The Cabinet minister’s comments were labelled “insulting” by a civil service union chief.

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Ministers could face a battle with unions over a drive to get more civil servants back into Whitehall.

One Cabinet minister has suggested that officials should have their pay docked if they refuse to return to the office after working from home for so long during the pandemic.

The comments were described as “insulting” by a civil service union chief, who said ministers should focus on whether public services are being delivered, rather than where civil servants are sitting.

The unnamed minister’s comments came as the Government stressed it would follow a “cautious” approach to civil servants returning to their offices, with departments able to be flexible in how the process is managed.

But a Cabinet minister told the Daily Mail that civil servants who refuse to come into the office should face a pay cut.

“People who have been working from home aren’t paying their commuting costs so they have had a de facto pay rise, so that is unfair on those who are going into work,” the minister said.

“If people aren’t going into work, they don’t deserve the terms and conditions they get if they are going into work.”

In a sign that working from home could damage future job prospects, the minister suggested that “people who want to get on in life will go into the office because that’s how people are going to succeed”.

HEALTH Coronavirus
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“Across the economy – in both the private and public sectors – employers are embracing hybrid working, which provides greater work-life balance for employees and reduced office costs for employers.

“Only last week, the Government announced that due to hybrid working, an additional eight Government departments could now move into the new civil service hub in Leeds.

“As the last 18 months has demonstrated, there are many tasks that can be done just as effectively whilst working remotely.

“Indeed, the Government’s own flagship Places for Growth strategy – moving civil service jobs out of London – was already predicated on at least 40% of these being done remotely, and that was before Covid.

“What should matter to ministers is whether public services are being delivered effectively, not where individual civil servants are sitting on a particular day.”

The comments came as it emerged plans to require staff at the Department of Health and Social Care to be based partly in the office in September have been scrapped, meaning civil servants there can continue to work from home full-time.

HEALTH Coronavirus
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However, in an announcement seen by the newspaper, DHSC’s director of workplace and director of HR told staff on Thursday that “it’s clear that we cannot proceed with this phase on the planned timescale”.

“Our approach, which builds on our learning during the pandemic, takes advantage of the benefits of both office and home-based working across the UK.”

Last week, Chancellor Rishi Sunak highlighted the benefits of office working.

He said it had been “really beneficial” working in an office environment early in his career and doubted whether he would have been able to build “strong relationships” with mentors over Teams or Zoom.

“That’s why I think for young people in particular being able to physically be in an office is valuable,” he added.

In the Department for Education, skills minister Gillian Keegan estimated around 25% of staff were in on any given day “and quite frankly they are all excited to come back”.

“Ministers shouldn’t be urging people back to the office at a time when cases remain high and against the Government’s own workplace safety guidance,” she said.

– Most coronavirus restrictions were removed in Scotland after the country moved beyond Level 0 at midnight.

– Despite the removal of Scotland’s legal requirements for physical distancing – except in healthcare settings – and gatherings,  the order to wear face coverings indoors in public places and on public transport, will remain.

– Government figures showed a further 39 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Sunday, bringing the UK total by that measure to 130,321.

– As of 9am on Sunday, there had been a further 27,429 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases in the UK.

– As of Saturday, some 47,036,796 people had received a first dose of vaccine, an increase of 37,990, while 39,429,468 are now double-jabbed, up 213,583 on the previous day.

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