‘Absolute joke!’ Civil servants berated for demanding a four-day week for same pay

‘Absolute joke!’ Civil servants berated for demanding a four-day week for same pay

Civil servants ask for four-day week

GB News
Gabrielle Wilde

By Gabrielle Wilde


Published: 22/02/2024

- 17:43

Updated: 22/02/2024

- 17:53

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union is calling for a four-day working week and 35 days holiday for the same wages

Civil servants have been slammed as an "absolute joke" after the Public and Commercial Services demanded a four-day working week.

The union has also called for its workers to receive 35 days of holiday and still be on the same wage.


According to The Telegraph, the PCS would like to see the four-day working week implemented across the Civil Service.

The move sparked outrage from Conservative MPs with the MP from Buckingham claiming that the move is an "absolute joke."

\u200bGreg Smith

Greg Smith slammed the demand as "absurd"

GB News

Greg Smith said: "This is an absurd demand. In what other world can you go to your boss and say I want to work a day less a week, but I want to stay on the same money?

"You'd be laughed out of town for that absolute joke. Especially when you remember who pays for the civil service. We do, taxpayers up and down the land who will be raising an eyebrow at this demand.

"I fear it is what would come should people go to the ballot box and elect a Labour Government next time around. Because we know Labour does whatever the unions say.

"We know the unions are the real bosses of Labour members of Parliament and demands like this will become commonplace.

Keir StarmerKeir Starmer is the leader of the Labour party GETTY

"This is 200,000 civil servants across 213 Government departments and agencies, a significant tranche. This is just a solution.

"We've long heard the socialist dream of the four-day week. It's been banded about for years and years that it could become reality.

"It could, although here in some parts of the civil service, four days a week might be aspirational rather than limiting. The country does have big challenges.

"As we've come out of Covid, as we're facing war on our continent there are conflicts all around the world. We need civil servants to be doing their job.

Greg Smith

Greg Smith said he is worried that Labour if elected, will be pressured by the unions

GB News

"We need them to have rocket boosters underneath them to deliver the services domestically and the things that we need them to be doing with the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defense daily.

"A four-day week just just doesn't cut it."

The PCS also demanded an "inflation-proofed" pay increase "plus pay restoration", and a living wage of £15 per hour.

What’s more, the letter also demanded a London wage uplift of at least £5,000 per year, and a minimum of 35 annual leave days for staff.

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