Calls by civil servants working in the Department of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) for a four day working week have been rejected by the government.
Members of the PCS union issued research claiming that moving to a four-day-week for the same amount of pay could save the government £21.4 million a year in the department. However, when asked about the plans for a four-day-week, pensions minister Emma Reynolds said civil servants “won’t get one”, telling Times Radio, “We’re not living in the 1970s.”
Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said it is “not government policy to support a four-day working week”. He added, “The civil service is working to deliver for working people day in, day out.”
Farmers had also criticised the plans. Steve Ridsdale, chairman of the British Farming Union, said he was frustrated civil servants were asking for a four-day week “when asking us to work our socks off to pay a tax bill”.
He continued, “It does seem as though they’re asking us to work the next goodness knows how many years to pay the inheritance tax bill without wanting to do much work themselves. It looks like they are asking us to work 15 days a week and them four.”
Jonathan Roberts of the Country Land and Business Association added, “This is a dreadful look. We know many Defra staff are very diligent and passionate about the countryside. But when farmers and small businesses are breaking their backs to survive in the face of increasingly hostile policies, the knowledge that some civil servants in charge of rural policy are campaigning to reduce their hours is a kick in the teeth.”
The PCS union said the response to its proposals was a “knee-jerk” and “disappointing”. PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said, “The government’s knee-jerk response is disappointing, especially as they ignore the evidence in front of them that a four-day week can lead to real gains, including financial savings, for employers and workers.
“Enlightened businesses are increasingly adopting the four-day-week for their staff because can see the clear benefits. Ministers should not close their minds just because the right-wing press has.”
