Fury as staff in Angela Rayner's department demand a four-day week

Staff in Angela Rayner's department are demanding the right to work four days a week with no loss of pay.

More than 500 civil servants in her Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have signed a petition calling on managers to allow the major change to their working practices.

The members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union say it would benefit both employees and the Government by improving work-life balance while reducing sick days.

They are the second Whitehall branch to demand a four-day week after those in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs made the call first last December.

Last night Elliot Keck, head of campaigns at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Taxpayers will see right through this utter claptrap being pushed by work-shy pen pushers.

'Public sector workers already work fewer hours and take more annual leave than private sector workers, yet somehow these spoiled bureaucrats have the gall to demand even more time off.

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'Angela Rayner should take this opportunity to stand up for the British people and demand that civil servants do a full week of work like the rest of the country.'

But PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote insisted: 'A four-day week benefits both the employer and the employee. Employers offering a four-day week have better staff retention, find recruiting easier and lose less to sick days.

'A four-day week would give workers an additional day to spend how they like. For parents or those with caring responsibilities, care costs can be reduced and more time away from work to do the things we enjoy means less burnout, better health and a better quality of life.'

One PCS rep at MHCLG said: 'A four-day week with same pay would make my dream of having children much more realistic. My partner and I would like to have children, but right now it seems impossible.

'Fewer days in the office would mean we could share childcare responsibilities, and I could avoid burnout with the other pressures of modern life.'

The MHCLG was at the centre of the previous Government's attempts to stop councils introducing a four-day week.

Under the Tories, the department repeatedly tried to stop South Cambridgeshire District Council from continuing with its trial of the controversial practice.

For the past year it has requested dozens of pieces of data on performance of key services each week from the Lib Dem-run town hall.

Last night an MHCLG spokesman insisted: 'This is not government policy or something we are considering.

'The government is already taking clear steps to enhance workers' rights with our Employment Rights Bill which will drive economic growth and support more people into secure work.'