Civil Service Minister John Glen rejects calls from officials to work a four-day week for the same pay

A four-day week was one of the options the Public and Commercial Services Union said it would like to implement under the Public Service Credit: Simon Chapman/LNP

The Public Service Minister has rejected calls from officials to work four days a week for the same pay, saying they have just secured a record pay rise.

Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union The largest union representing public sector workers has demanded a «significant reduction» in working hours without changing their wages.

The four-day week was one of the options the PCS said it would like to see implemented across the civil service.

But John Glen, the Cabinet Office minister responsible for the civil service, told The Telegraph on Thursday he could not agree.< /p>

In the Telegraph article below he said: “Taxpayers rightly expect our public services to be delivered during the week — we will not allow a four-day week on full-time pay…

Fran Heathcote, PCS general secretary, wrote to Mr Glen last month asking for a shorter working week, higher pay and more annual leave.

The union represents more than 200,000 civil servants in 213 government departments and agencies.

It follows a campaign by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs civil servants for a four-day week on the grounds that it would increase staff welfare.

In her letter, first published on the Civil Service World website, Ms Heathcote also called for a minimum of 35 days of annual leave for all staff.

This is a full week more than is required by law for all staff to have 28 paid holiday days a year.

Other demands included a £5,000 increase for roles in London, as well as higher pay for three the most junior positions in the civil service.

Union members “live in poverty.”

She also said some PCS union members were living in poverty due to inflation and that it «must be a shame» for the government, as was the fact that staff in the three most junior grades of the service were only paid the minimum wage.

Glen said: “As the minister responsible for the civil service, I want to support our civil servants. But as a member of the government elected to this role by voters, I am primarily accountable to the public.

John Glen says his priority is to «tackle the public sector productivity problem». Photo: Steve Back

“My priority is to address public sector productivity: delivering our public services more efficiently. It is clear to me that any workforce plan must address this core problem, and public servants working fewer hours will not solve this problem.»

He said that while he agreed that public servants must change the way they work to keep up with advances in technology, “these efforts should be aimed at improving services rather than reducing work.”

“ The emerging evidence for a four-day work week is weak at best,” he said. “Where it has worked, it has benefited a small number of small companies. I personally doubt that this can be implemented effectively with a workforce of more than 500,000 people.

“And while a few small private companies that see demand ups and downs may find benefit from this, our public services are used constantly. Generally, the public has no choice as to where or when they access their services, and the need for this service does not take their days off.»

He added: «It is clear to me that any change in The way we work should improve the productivity of the public sector.

“We must always remember that our public services must serve the public first and public servants second.”

“We cannot rest until all of us — ministers, civil servants and the entire public sector — solve our problems. productivity problem.»

«Our public services must serve the public first and public servants second.»

I have recently seen a number of articles about flexible working for our public servants, including reports in this newspaper about some public sector workers . those who want to try out a four-day work week.

As the Minister responsible for the Civil Service, I want to support our civil servants. But as a government member elected to this role by voters, I am primarily accountable to the public.

My priority is to address public sector productivity: delivering government services more efficiently. I understand that any workforce plan must address this underlying problem, and government employees working fewer hours will not solve this problem.

Taxpayers rightly expect our government services to be provided during the week — we will not allow a four-day week with full-time pay.

I welcome unions' recognition that our public servants must work smarter to be more productive. In fact, I recently outlined how the civil service can harness technological innovation and cut unnecessary processes to free up more time to focus on the actual delivery of public services. But these efforts should be aimed at improving services, not at reducing work.

“Evidence for a four-day workweek is thin”

For example, the emerging evidence for a four-day workweek is weak at best. Where it has worked, it has benefited a small number of small companies. Personally, I doubt that this can be implemented effectively with a workforce of more than 500,000 people.

And while a few small private companies that see demand ups and downs may benefit from this, our public services are used constantly. Generally, the public has no choice about where or when they access their services, and the need for these services does not require a day off.

The exclusion of the four-day working week for all civil servants does not mean that the civil service is inflexible. In fact, our public servants already have many options: reduced hours, part-time work and job sharing are commonplace — but these are negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

And we have done more than fair to to our civil servants. Last year's pay rise for non-senior roles (over 98 per cent) was one of the best in recent history: the biggest pay rise for more than 20 years, with a one-off payment of £1,500.

But I understand that any changes we make to the way we work should improve the productivity of the public sector.

We must always remember that our public services must serve the public first and public servants second.

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We cannot rest until all of us — ministers, civil servants and the entire public sector — solve our productivity problem.

John Glen is the Cabinet Office minister responsible for the civil service