10:19 AM, 17th November 2022, About 2 years ago 14
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More than 500 workers at the housing charity Shelter will stage a two week strike next month, in response to the organisation’s management attempt to impose a real terms pay cut on its staff.
Unite the Union believes that Shelter can make a fair pay offer and points to its reserves last year of £14.5 million, substantially higher than its target reserves of £8.9 million.
And a regional union officer has called Shelter’s management ‘arrogant and high-handed’.
One member of Shelter’s staff said: “The work we undertake, particularly in frontline services, is so valuable and clients depend on our teams.
“At the very base level, absolute bare minimum, those working for a housing charity shouldn’t be experiencing housing insecurity as a result of being unable to pay rent.”
The staff, who are based across the UK, returned an 85% vote in favour of industrial action and will begin strike action on Monday 5 December, with the strike ending on Sunday 18 December.
Management at Shelter has sought to impose a 3% pay increase on staff, which the union says is a real terms pay cut with the inflation rate currently at 12.6%.
The union says that Shelter’s management has refused to negotiate and has instead begun to impose one-off payments – believed to be £1,500.
These payments will leave pay rates at low levels, the union warns, and fail to consider rampant inflation.
Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “Shelter’s workers are absolutely dedicated to the organisation but they have been forced to take strike action as management refused to listen and understand their financial plight.
“Rather than sit on ever-expanding reserves, Shelter should be paying its workers a fair pay rise.
“Unite does what it says on the trade union tin and always prioritises the jobs, pay and conditions of its members, the workers at Shelter will receive the union’s unstinting support.”
Unite regional officer, Peter Storey, said: “Strike action will inevitably cause substantial disruption to the services that Shelter provides.
“However, the organisation has created this dispute through the arrogant and high-handed manner in which it has treated its loyal workers.”
Tim Gutteridge, director of finance and strategy enablement at Shelter, told Third Sector: “Industrial action is not the outcome we wanted, but we fully respect people’s right to strike.
“Regrettably, the cost-of-living crisis is impacting both our colleagues and operational costs, and we are doing what we can to navigate these challenging economic times.
“This year, we gave all staff a 3% consolidated pay increase, as well as a one-off payment of £1,500. As a result, non-management staff are receiving an increase this year of between 8% and 12.3%.”
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Rerktyne
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Sign Up19:57 PM, 17th November 2022, About 2 years ago
No sympathy at all! They treat decent landlords like white trash treated blacks in 1920s Mississippi! They encourage rogue tenants and create worse housing problems by causing decent landlords to go Airbnb or short term! They cause rents to rise - with the help of imbecilic governments! They help increase the portfolios of bad landlords who are immune from prosecution because they have the same set up as loan sharks!
Basically, the succeed in shooting decent people in the foot.
Reluctant Landlord
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Sign Up11:49 AM, 18th November 2022, About 2 years ago
I read this article - and laughed!
Perhaps Shelter management can offer its staff the same 'support' (and a leaflet) as they do the public who come to them for the same...
Shelter can then explain WHY they can't offer any more money....because they are spending it all instead on anti LL campaigns....the same LL's their staff now need to be housed themselves.....
Steve Hards
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Sign Up17:29 PM, 19th November 2022, About 2 years ago
Shelter has a history of provoking their staff to strike for more pay, as in 2008, 2014 and 2018. Look it up on your favourite search engine!
philip allen
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Sign Up16:49 PM, 20th November 2022, About 2 years ago
Here's a thought. On Property 118 we are always looking for a way to raise our profile and have a 'voice' in the wilderness of landlording so consider this if you will. As many of us as we can muster should show up at one of the shelter's staff protest marches and let them know in advance that we are coming to support them. Our narrative will be that we need our tenants to be able to afford their rent and some of us could well be the landlords of some of their staff. Perhaps if they saw that we are supportive of their cause then their view of us may, just possibly, take a different tack. Going forward they might be less inclined to talk us down at every opportunity. We could even become their 'besties'! Just imagine the headlines in their in house magazine..'Landlords support Shelter's staff for wage increase'.