Repairs and maintenance staff working for Citizen Housing are set to begin industrial action this month in a dispute over pay.
The Unite union says the 200 workers in Birmingham, Coventry, Hereford and Worcester are to stage a series of one day strikes. Those downing tools and walking out include gas engineers, electricians, construction workers, and admin staff.
According to the union, the workers are angry at a “derisory” 4% pay rise offered by Citizen Housing, despite the West Midlands housing association reporting a turnover of 192.6m, and an operating surplus of £48.3m in 2023/24.
The organisation also reported a surplus for the year of £19.1m, down from 2022/23’s £23.1m, and reserves of £423.1m, up from the previous year’s £407.1m.
Unite accuses the housing association of “trying to justify keeping wages low” because it “enacted a long overdue reward review” scheme in May over terms and conditions, but the union adds that this is “totally separate” from annual pay negotiations.
According to the union, the 4% offer would still leave some workers only on the national minimum wage. It adds that Citizen’s tradespeople are “furious”, claiming that “years of falling wages in real terms have left them being paid thousands of pounds below industry standards”.
Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, said:“Citizen Housing’s workforce are rightly angry that their pay is being kept artificially low despite the association’s huge surplus and sky-high executive wage packets.
“Unite never accepts attacks on our members’ jobs, pay and conditions and Citizen Housing workers have their union’s total support during these strikes.”
The union has sought to emphasise its argument by pointing to the pay packets of Citizen Housing chief executive Kevin Rodgers, and its chief financial officer, Gary Booth, who it claims are both paid more than the average housing association chief executive.
Rodgers, it says, saw his pay rise from £264,000 last year to £280,000 this year – above the average salary of £193,069 for UK housing association chiefs; Booth, meanwhile is claimed to receive pay “in excess” of £200,000.
Sharon Harding. Unite’s regional officer, said: “The responsibility for the disruption caused to residents lies entirely at the door of Citizen Housing. It can easily afford to offer these workers a fair pay rise but is choosing not to.
“The dismissive and arrogant way Citizen Housing’s senior leadership is treating our membership is only making this dispute worse. There is still time to avoid strike action, but that will require an acceptable offer being put forward.”
The first day of action is scheduled for 28 October. This will be followed by further walk-outs on the 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25, and 29 November. Unites says that industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved.
Strike action will impact critical maintenance and repair services for more than 30,000 homes in Birmingham, Coventry, Worcester and Hereford. This include residences in Birmingham’s Lee Bank and the Hillfields, Tile Hill, Spon End, Riley Square and Jadine Crescent areas of Coventry.
Citizen responds
For its part, Citizen Housing says that over £30m of its operating surplus last year was spent on paying interest on debt. The remaining £19m surplus after interest was supplemented by additional borrowing to fund investment in maintaining existing homes and building new ones.
A spokesperson for the housing association said: “Citizen has offered a 4% pay increase across the organisation, in line with the wider housing sector. This is in addition to a comprehensive review of our pay framework, which saw more than 70% of our workforce receive pay increases averaging 9% this year. With a 4% annual pay award, 70% would benefit overall by an average 13% uplift to their pay.
“During the period of industrial action, our priority is to ensure that customers continue to receive services, and we are putting plans in place to minimise any disruption. Emergency repairs will be prioritised, and we are working closely with our contractors to manage routine maintenance where possible.
“As a responsible social housing provider, we have a regulatory duty to reinvest any operational surplus directly into maintaining and improving our homes and services and providing good quality homes.
“We understand the pressures facing our colleagues, we are proud to be a Real Living Wage employer and will continue to support them where we can.”
Image credit: Anselm Kempf/Shutterstock
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