UNISON members vote in favour of taking strike action 
at Hampshire Constabulary 
 
Hampshire Constabulary has been informed by UNISON of the ballot results on the current 
dispute about proposed changes to the shift arrangements in the control room.  
 
The control room in Hamble comprises 188 employees, including 161 civilian staff. Out of the 
69 UNISON members that returned their ballot papers, 57 voted in favour of taking industrial 
action, including 53 voting in favour of strike action. 
 
In response to the results and the press release sent out by UNISON, Deputy Chief 
Constable Ian Readhead said: 
 
“I can reassure the public of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight that in the event of a strike in 
the police control room all 999 calls will still be answered and the response to emergencies 
will not be affected. 
 
“UNISON has yet to notify Hampshire Constabulary about the dates and times of any 
potential strike action, but we have already prepared contingency plans in order to continue 
to provide a full emergency response service. 
 
“Nevertheless it’s disappointing that some of those UNISON members within the control 
room who cast their vote have decided to vote for industrial action to pursue their interests. 
 
“A strike will not remove the need for the constabulary to implement changes that are 
believed to have significant benefits not only for the work of control room staff, but also for 
the force and the public. 
 
“The new shift pattern for the control room is already worked by colleagues across much of 
the force. Bringing the control room staff in line with them will build better working relations 
with more than 1,300 response police officers in Hampshire. 
 
“The pattern will also be more flexible and allow us to better match our staffing levels to the 
demand so that we can deliver an improved service to the public.” 
 
 

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