THE Department for Education has defended its decision to shut offices amid a dispute with the PCS union, which has warned that staff will have to choose between relocating or possibly getting sacked.

The department will press on with plans to “consolidate office locations” in cost-cutting efforts, it confirmed on Saturday, as PCS members prepare to vote on industrial action in the coming weeks.

The union said the threat of action was in protest against plans to close six offices across England.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said closures will have a “devastating impact on hundreds of dedicated public servants who spent years delivering vital services for children, families and schools across the country.

“Our members are being presented with impossible choices: face dramatically longer commutes, relocate their lives and families or risk being told to leave.

“No responsible employer should be placing workers in that position when alternatives exist.”

A department statement said the move would allow it “to invest in fewer, better-equipped workplaces for our people” and that it was “committed to supporting colleagues affected by this decision.”