'Go To The Office Or Get Sacked' Government Briefing Sparks Backlash
The government has backed away from suggestions that workers would be vulnerable to the sack if they continue to work from home amid a backlash.
Labour said it “beggars belief” that the government was “threatening people” during the coronavirus pandemic and asking them to “choose between their health and their job” as part of Boris Johnson’s drive to get workers back to the office.
It came after an unnamed government source told the Telegraph that workers need to be “alert” and that it could be “problematic” if bosses “are only seeing workers once a fortnight”.
“Suddenly the word ‘restructure’ is bandied about and people who have been working from home find themselves in the most vulnerable position,” the source added.
An unnamed cabinet minister also told the newspaper that bosses “will realise some people weren’t working as hard as they thought”.
And transport secretary Grant Shapps insisted there was a “limit” to home working.
The briefing came as the prime minister reportedly prepared to launch a major drive to get workers back to the office, including reassurance that workplaces are safe and a new online tool to help people avoid the busiest trains and buses.
The prime minister and major business lobby the CBI are concerned about the economic impact of city centre “ghost towns”, with Pret A Manger announcing plans to cut 2,800 staff on Thursday.
But the issue has opened up a cabinet rift after health secretary Matt Hancock defended his own officials’ remote working, insisting that “what I care about is how effectively people work”, which put him at odds with chancellor Rishi Sunak.
There were also murmurings of discontent on Tory backbenches, as normally loyal MP Kevin Hollinrake said that if Covid-19 has been a catalyst to change working practices then “so be it”.
