Staff working for the homelessness charity Shelter are being balloted for industrial action in a dispute over pay and conditions.
Trades union Unite says that around 550 staff have been offered a below-inflation pay rise of 1.5%, with the charity’s management accused of refusing to negotiate on pay.
If the ballot – which closes on 19 November – votes in favour of industrial action, then Unite says that strike action could begin in early December to tie in with the run up to Christmas – a busy time for the charity.
Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, said: “It is completely unacceptable for an anti-poverty charity such as Shelter imposing such an unfair deal on its staff, especially the lowest-paid, when it is in a very healthy financial position.
“Unite will not stand by and allow our members to be forced into taking a substantial real terms pay cut, they will have our full backing throughout this dispute.”
As well as pay, Shelter staff are also being balloted on conditions.
Unite says it has been in discussions with Shelter over the last three years for a four-day week, with the organisation offering that as part of a pay deal in previous years to run trials in conjunction with consultants.
However, the charity has now withdrawn completely from four-day week discussions, despite Unite moving its position from a four-day week to a nine-day fortnight, and offering to delay a trial until all of Shelter’s current contracts are completed to minimise disruption.
Peter Storey, the union’s regional officer, said: “Shelter is guilty of attempting to impose such a miserable pay deal on staff and shutting down conversations around the four-day week.
“Any strike action will be very disruptive, but this is of Shelter’s own making. Management must come back to negotiations with an improved offer to avoid this.”
Challenging times
Tim Gutteridge, Shelter’s chief operating officer, said: “At Shelter and Shelter Scotland we strive to be a good employer and are proud to be an accredited Real Living Wage (RLW) organisation.
“Like so many charities we are facing challenging economic times and increased running costs. Our ambition remains to fairly compensate our colleagues while ensuring we can continue to serve those worst affected by the housing emergency.
“We are disappointed after nine months of negotiations with Unite that we have not been able to agree on a pay deal. We believe it is right to now move forward and ensure a pay rise for colleagues before Christmas.
“All staff will receive a 1.5% pay increase, plus 490 of our lower paid colleagues will also receive a one-off payment of £210. In addition, as a RLW employer, we will be implementing the latest RLW rate five months early so that our lowest paid staff receive an above inflation 6.7% pay rise in December.
“We remain open to further discussions on our offer of a reduction in weekly hours with no loss of pay, but we do not believe we can implement a four-day week without impacting jobs and the people we help. Industrial action is not the outcome we wanted but we fully respect people’s right to strike. We await the outcome of this ballot.”
Image credit: Ms Jane Campbell/Shutterstock
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