Two-week strike announced by civilian staff at MPS
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union says civilian staff working for the Metropolitan Police Service will take two weeks of strike action after management “threatened to dock their wages” if they took action short of a strike.
More than 300 members will take full strike action instead of the previously notified action short of a strike, says the PCS.
“PCS members had voted to take action short of a strike in the form of non-compliance with the new attendance policy on which the dispute is based,” it said.
“However, management threatened to deduct a full day’s pay for any day on which a member of staff worked from home when they had been instructed to attend the office.”
The PCS has therefore announced that more than 300 members in Referencing and Vetting will stop work from February 4 to 17.
The PCS says strike action is likely to impact on backroom functions of the police force, specifically updating the National Crime Database and clearing people through vetting.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “This hardline approach by Met Police managers has been completely counter-productive, effectively escalating the dispute.
“Our members take their jobs very seriously and didn’t want to disrupt the important work they do, but now they feel their hands have been forced because if they’ll lose pay when they’re not striking, they felt they might as well lose pay for striking.
“Instead of pouring fuel on the fire by punishing our members for exercising their democratic right to take industrial action, managers should talk to us and try to resolve the issue.”
Matt Cane, general secretary of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: “The irony of this strike by police staff colleagues will not be lost on our hard-working members, who are out on the streets of London 24 hours a day, seven days a week keeping the capital safe.
“It must be remembered that our Metropolitan Police officer colleagues are unable to take industrial action – having no right to strike. This has been taken advantage of by successive governments when it comes to our pay and conditions.
“There is also the irony that this strike action is being taken by police staff who work on vetting… whilst the Metropolitan Police Service are making such a high-profile push on using vetting status to sack officers.
“We are questioning the legality of using a failure in vetting to sack police officers via Judicial Review. Officers who are not fit to wear the uniform should not be in the police service. But police officers – like all people – need to be treated within the law of the land and they have the right to representation and a fair process.”