Staff know how public services work. Councillors should listen.
Staff working for Wrexham County Borough Council are being forced into a rigid office attendance policy that ignores how services actually run and disregards the clear views of the workforce.
This dispute is about more than where people work. It is about respect, trust and whether decisions about public services are made with workers or imposed on them.
What’s the problem?
Last summer, council staff were consulted on hybrid working. The response was clear.
Most staff said the existing approach worked. A broadly balanced mix of home and office working, with flexibility based on role and service need, allowed people to do their jobs well while maintaining their wellbeing.
Despite this, councillors later voted to impose a blanket requirement for most office-based staff to attend the office four days a week, with little flexibility and no evidence that this would improve services.
When staff, through UNISON, challenged this decision and asked for negotiations, the response was simple: the decision had already been made.
That is not partnership working. It is imposition.
Who is affected?
The changes affect hundreds of council workers whose roles include office-based work, including staff in:
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Democratic services.
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Finance.
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IT.
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Housing.
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Social work.
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Other council services.
These are the workers who keep vital services running every day. They understand how their jobs work, what residents need and how best to deliver services efficiently.
An unworkable policy
The council’s buildings do not have enough space to support near-full-time office attendance.
At the same time, permanent desks and team spaces have been removed in favour of hot-desking. Staff are being pushed back into offices that are no longer designed to accommodate them.
A policy that only functions because it is quietly ignored is not a serious policy. It creates confusion, inefficiency and unnecessary stress, while doing nothing to improve outcomes for the public.
What UNISON is calling for
Staff are not asking for the removal of office working. They are asking for a fair, negotiated and workable approach.
UNISON members are calling for:
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A return to proper negotiations with staff and trade unions.
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A hybrid working policy based on evidence, not rhetoric.
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A broadly agreed 3:2 balance between office and home working.
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Flexibility that reflects the reality of different roles and services.
This is about trusting workers to organise their work in ways that deliver for the public.
Why this matters
Hybrid working is not a luxury. It is one of the few improvements workers have seen after years of rising workloads, falling pay in real terms and growing pressure on public services.
When councillors ignore consultation results and refuse to negotiate, they send a clear message: that staff voices do not matter.
UNISON members in Wrexham are challenging that message. By standing together, they are showing that public services work best when the people who deliver them are listened to and respected.
Work at Wrexham Council? Join UNISON
If you work for Wrexham County Borough Council and are not yet a UNISON member, this issue affects you.
The reason this policy is being challenged is because workers are organising together. On your own, you can be ignored. Together, workers have a voice.
Joining UNISON means standing with your colleagues to push for a fair, negotiated approach to hybrid working.
