Industrial dispute of staff in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

That this House considers that the main focus of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) should be on tackling pressing issues arising from the conflict in the Middle East alongside emerging and ongoing crises across the globe; regrets however that the ongoing restructuring exercise has created an industrial dispute with members of the Public and Commercial Services Trade Union since November 2025; notes that PCS members have now voted for Industrial Action with 78% of members voting for strike action and 97% voting for action short of strike action in an industrial ballot on 22 June; supports calls by PCS that the dispute could be resolved by pledges of no compulsory redundancies, roles to be advertised for internal applicants in the first instance, evidence that equality impacts and potential discriminatory outcomes have been fully assessed and mitigated; further notes the calls by both the International Development and Foreign Affairs Select Committees to pause the restructure proposals; and agrees that pausing the restructuring with the Department should take place immediately and that FCDO should now engage in meaningful dialogue in order to address all the issues and concerns of the staff and trade union.