Prospect members at ONS vote to end dispute

Following a formal ballot of Prospect’s HQ section members on the negotiated office attendance agreement with the Office for National Statistics (ONS), members have voted decisively to accept the offer. The ballot achieved a 66% turnout, with 91% voting in favour. On that basis, the dispute has now been resolved and the industrial action mandate withdrawn. ONS has been formally written to informing them of the result and that the mandate has been withdrawn. Members have been instructed to cease any industrial action.

This outcome reflects both the strength of the earlier mandate, which secured meaningful movement from the employer, and a negotiated position that removes individual attendance targets in favour of a purpose-led framework. We will now move into an implementation phase, with a focus on monitoring application and retaining the ability to re-open the dispute should the agreement not be applied reasonably in practice.

Prospect Deputy General Secretary, Steve Thomas said:

“This marks the end of what has been a protracted dispute, and it is testament to the power of negotiation that we have got here.

“What has always been clear is that a one-size-fits-all approach to office attendance does not work and imposing mandatory targets that do not reflect operational needs is counterproductive.

“Each workplace and the roles within it are different. It is vital that employers work with unions to develop a policy which is both fair and delivers the necessary outcomes.”