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G15 landlord faces strike action over plans to end relations with Unite
A large G15 landlord could face industrial action over its plans to end formal relations with Unite the Union.
Unite warned Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH) that it will face a “significant campaign of resistance” if bosses press ahead with their decision.
Last summer, MTVH served a six months’ notice to Unite of its plans to de-recognise the union.
Since then, Unite said it has presented management with a number of alternative proposals, including an offer of third-party conciliation.
It said all proposals have been “dismissed out of hand” and the union is now planning a major campaign, including industrial action.
MTVH said the decision was the result of a post-merger review, following the combination of Metropolitan Housing Trust and Thames Valley Housing Association.
It said union rights were “not being removed at all” and that the landlord has “an existing relationship with an alternative national union, which has a significantly bigger membership base within the organisation”.
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Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite, said unless the 57,000-home landlord “ends this anti-union attack”, the union “will wage a significant campaign of resistance”.
She added: “An industrial action ballot is a very real possibility. Unite has had constructive relations with management over decades and there is absolutely no reason for this decision.
“To attempt to remove workers’ union rights in the middle of a cost of living crisis is contemptible.
“The housing association has a huge turnover of £414m and a £40m surplus.
“There is no justification for this attack, so the workers have Unite’s full support in their campaign to maintain their trade union rights.”
Matt Freeman, regional officer at Unite, said the decision was a “blatant attack” on workers’ trade union rights.
“We stand ready to fight this decision. We hope bosses will come to their senses,” he added.
MTVH said it made the decision following a review of systems and processes after its merger in 2018.
The association concluded that staff “would benefit from a streamlined process engaging a single union across the whole organisation”.
An MTVH spokesperson said: “Union rights are not being removed at all. We have an existing relationship with an alternative national union, which has a significantly bigger membership base within the organisation.
“We fully recognise the value of union representation and remain thoroughly committed to enabling colleagues to engage with trade union representatives as effectively as possible.
“As is common practice post-merger, we conducted a review of processes and systems following the merger of Thames Valley Housing Association and Metropolitan Housing Trust to form MTVH.
“We have concluded that colleagues would benefit from a streamlined process, engaging a single union across the whole organisation on formal consultation matters.
“When making this decision, we actively engaged with and ran sessions with colleagues to listen to any concerns they may have.
“We did not receive any significant feedback on the decision. We are pleased that since making this decision, colleagues have expressed an overall 82% satisfaction with MTVH as an organisation.”
