Census workers in England and Wales were forced to take unpaid time off when Prince Philip died, after being told their work would halt out of respect for the Duke of Edinburgh but they would have to “make up their hours”.
Thousands of temporary workers at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), many earning just over £10 an hour, were told in an email they should stop working immediately and go home.
The email sent to field staff read: “Following the sad news of the death of HRH the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in line with civil service protocol we are recalling all staff from the field with immediate effect. Please return home. Some pre-planned activity can continue.”
On the question of whether they would be paid, the workers were told to “make up” their hours for the week over the next few days. They were advised that if they were unable to do this they should speak to their manager.
Workers were told that further guidance would be issued in due course outlining the process during the mourning period between the day of Philip’s death and the funeral.
“But we anticipate that field operations can resume tomorrow and continue until the day of the funeral when field operations will again cease for the day,” the email continued.
Buckingham Palace announced the death of Philip, who was 99, on Friday 9 April. A ceremonial royal funeral will take place on Saturday in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Frances O’Grady, the Trades Union Congress general secretary, said: “No one should have their shifts cancelled without proper notice and compensation. And it’s not right to ask staff to work longer days to make up their hours.
“People need to be treated with dignity and respect at work. That’s why the TUC is calling for mandatory notice periods for shifts and payments for late shift cancellations. Our research shows that over half of workers on zero-hours contracts have had shifts cancelled at less than a day’s notice. This practice has to end.”
At least 30,000 field staff across England and Wales were hired for the 2021 census. They include officers who visit those who have not yet completed their census form, offering help and encouragement to take part.
A statement from the ONS said: “We asked staff to move any hours they would have worked on Friday to another day. That policy has been consistently adopted through the collection operation to date, under a number of different circumstances.
“Where they were unable to move their hours, we asked them to speak with their team leaders who have the discretion to authorise payments where there would be a genuine difficulty.”
