Hundreds of Land Registry workers have voted to strike after being informed to work from their places of work for 3 days every week, which can hit the anticipated surge in housebuying exercise forward of stamp responsibility modifications later this 12 months.
The Public and Industrial Companies union mentioned its members voted for industrial motion after the division knowledgeable staff that hours labored from residence could be reduce.
The union says 3,800 workers based mostly in 14 places of work throughout England and Wales are affected.
The vote for strike motion got here final Friday, with the union including that workers had been additionally involved concerning the authorities division “inappropriately utilizing private information and having to just accept additional duties with out additional pay”.
PCS basic secretary Fran Heathcote says: “The federal government doesn’t appear to study that making use of arbitrary targets on workplace attendance doesn’t improve productiveness and is unpopular with workers members.
“If they need a motivated, hard-working workforce, ministers ought to belief their very own workers to have some say over their working circumstances, reasonably than performing like Victorian bosses.
“It’s not too late for administration to keep away from strike motion by ending this dispute.”
The union is but to stipulate when any strikes might happen.
The transfer comes forward of an anticipated surge in homebuying within the run-up to the stamp responsibility modifications at first of April, which is able to see aid on the levy not prolonged for first-time patrons paying as much as £425,000 for a house.
Nationwide chief economist Robert Gardner says: “Upcoming modifications to stamp responsibility are more likely to generate volatility, as patrons convey ahead their purchases to keep away from the extra tax.
“This can result in a soar in transactions within the first three months of 2025, particularly in March.”
The Land Registry says the transfer is consistent with authorities protocols which say that 60% minimal workplace attendance for many workers is the perfect working stability for civil servants.
The division spokesman provides: “Now we have persistently delivered important companies similar to searches, registrations (together with expedites), and buyer contact throughout earlier intervals of business motion and there’s no cause why any potential future motion ought to influence any forthcoming transactions.”
“We are going to proceed to evaluate our processes and can inform our clients of the measures we’ll put in place, if and when any industrial motion is named by the PCS union.”
The company provides that the workers data it makes use of “is performance-related information and never private information”.
