METROPOLITAN POLICE staff have voted to strike for the first time, having been ordered back to the office in the New Year.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union members were outraged after managers reneged on a blended working deal that allowed them to work from home part of the week.

The new edict affects 2,400 civilians who support the day-to-day work of police officers, but disproportionately impacts women, part-time workers and those with disabilities.

Depending on where they work, the increase in office attendance is from 40 to 60 per cent, 60 to 80 or 80 to 100.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Our members are not bobbies on the beat.

“They are desk-based civilians who work from home just as productively as if they were in the office, but without the stress and cost of a daily commute.
 
“It’s time politicians and the right-wing media stopped their obsession with telling people where they have to work and started listening to the evidence of academics, employers and employees that shows working from home is a perfectly viable option for many people.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “Our plans will provide consistency across the Met and ensure we can deliver for our communities.

“Although the threshold for strike action has been met, it doesn’t have to go ahead and we urge our staff and the union not to take further action.”

Hundreds of PCS members working at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) previously voted for strike action In October over compulsory office attendance.

Members at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are also campaigning for a four-day week.