I work for a LA and since Covid we have all been WFH. The LA have decided to sell the offices for housing and provide a much smaller office, In the interim parts of the old office have been gradually closed and desk space greatly reduced. Pre covid office had around 250+ desks, New office has about 60 desks.
Most colleagues are happy to WFH.
In my team we go into the office once every couple of months if that, a few teams go in once a week.
Old office has now been sold/closed and all staff have been issued with a variation of contract letter. This states our "normal" place of work is the new offices.
I think the new contract should state that we work from home as this is what we actually do and surely 250 staff cant all have a normal place of work that only accommodates around 60 of them?!
Policies dont clearly reflect the reality of our situation, for example having to take leave or make up time for an unplanned power cuts, or occasionally weve phoned up the night before and asked to go into the office the following morning and we dont have the right to say no.
Union arent very good- they pride themselves in having a good working relationship with our employer which basically means they agree to anything employer wants but tbf most staff wont want to kick up a fuss.
Is this contract legal/correct? can it or should it be challenged?
It seems like our employer want it all ways-not actually provide us with an office we can all use but on the other hand not want to formally give us the right to WFH.
Any thoughts/advice from the collective hive of mumsnet?