Transactions blow as Land Registry staff go on strike
The strike over home working is likely to cause chaos just as the rush to beat Stamp Duty changes comes to a head.
Land Registry staff have voted to go on strike after bosses told them to go back to their offices for three days a week.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has yet to confirm when it will take place or how long it will last but said: “It’s not too late for management to avoid strike action by ending this dispute.”
Land Registry backlog
Backlogs at the Land Registry are already at record highs, with some registrations taking as long as 24 months. The strike could cause even worse delays for agents and buyers as it is likely to coincide with a surge in transactions generated by the rush to complete purchases before the Stamp Duty changes on April 1st.
The Land Registry says the move to bring staff back to the office is in line with government ‘best practice’ which recommends a minimum office attendance of 60% for civil servants.
And a spokesperson insisted they had ‘plans in place to manage services during any periods of industrial action.’
We have consistently delivered essential services during previous periods of industrial action.”
He added: “We have consistently delivered essential services during previous periods of industrial action and there is no reason why delays or any future industrial action should impact any forthcoming house sales – land registration occurs at the very end of a transaction after keys are exchanged and SDLT is paid.
“If an uncompleted application is needed to be processed urgently these can be expedited for free, with over 95% completed within 10 days.”
“Backlogs at the Land Registry are already at record highs, with some registrations taking as long as 24 months.” and working from home at a level of more than 60%, its not rocket science joining the dots on this one!
Sack the lot of them and employ people who actually want and know how to work! The public sector/civil servants have had it for too easy for far too many years and this is a joke. They all need to be held to account by us the Tax payers and they are not fit to be employed in the real world!