MORE than 1,000 workers at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are balloting to continue striking over plans to reduce flexible working arrangements, the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union announced today.

Since May 2024, PCS members have refused to follow an instruction to spend at least 40 per cent of their time in the office, to work overtime, out of hours and out of grade.

The union is balloting members, who are based in Newport in south Wales, Titchfield in Hampshire, London, Darlington, Manchester and Edinburgh, for a new mandate to allow their action to continue after the beginning of April.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said the proposals do “nothing to improve productivity but everything to disrupt the lives of ONS staff.”

“Our ongoing action has allowed our members to continue those flexible arrangements without damaging the organisation’s outputs,” she said.

A collective conciliation process is under way with Acas, she added.

An ONS spokesperson said it firmly believes that a “reasonable level of office attendance” is in the best interests of the body and staff and that it looks forward to discussions through the Acas conciliation service to “seek a way forward.”