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Repair staff announce fresh strike dates after negotiations break down
Greenwich Council repair staff have announced fresh strike dates after a breakdown in negotiations.
Nearly 150 workers, who are members of Unite the Union, will strike again on 1 and 2 July, as well as on 15 and 16 July. The first strike action took place on 28 May, with a further two days taking place in June.
Unite announced the industrial action last month after it said the local authority brought in plans that would see them lose nearly a third (30%) of their wages.
The council told workers that it had done a pay benchmarking exercise and would be reducing their wages.
Unite said that the cuts, which would be enacted in stages over four years, will see some workers lose nearly £17,000 from their salary by the fourth year.
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It claimed that because the council is “refusing to negotiate as well as making threats about fire-and-rehire practices”, Unite’s members “have been left with little choice but to ramp up their industrial action”.
The council said that the union’s counter offer was “unreasonable, unaffordable and frankly unrealistic”.
Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite, described the council’s plans as a “brutal and unjustified attack” on its members’ living standards.
“Many will be left unable to fulfil their financial obligations such as paying their mortgages and rent. Others will be forced into debt,” she said.
Ms Graham added: “That Greenwich is making noises about fire-and-rehire speaks volumes about its morals and business practices.
“Unite will not allow that to happen and the council and local politicians will feel the full force of Unite should it try such a move.”
Mary Summers, regional officer at Unite, warned that the strikes will “inevitably cause delays and disruptions” to Greenwich’s housing stock, “but this dispute is entirely of the council’s own making”.
A Greenwich Council spokesperson said: “After 13 years of government austerity, the council’s budget has been cut to the bone and we owe it to our residents to regularly assess how we can best deliver for our communities and protect frontline services.
“For that reason, we’ve reviewed the wage structure of some repairs staff who, in some cases, due to a complicated and historic bonus arrangement, have salaries well above industry average – even upwards of £100,000.
“The council is committed to continuing to engage with unions. Following months of dialogue, we proposed a new structure which delivers better value for money for our tenants, while still appropriately reflecting the work that our staff carry out.
“Unfortunately, at a point where we felt negotiations were nearing a reasonable resolution, we were met with a last-minute rejection and counter offer of a £60,000 lump sum per employee, on top of above-average wages.
“This offer is unreasonable, unaffordable and frankly unrealistic – and unfair on staff who have engaged in productive conversations to this point and deserve clarity.
“While we respect the union’s right to ballot for strike action, we would very much welcome a return to reasonable discussions. In the meantime we have all the appropriate resources in place to carry out essential repairs for our tenants.”
London repair staff at housing association Sanctuary have been striking since February over pay and conditions.
In December, housing and public building staff across Manchester won an 8% annual pay rise from contractor Equans after 120 members of Unite voted for industrial action earlier in the year.
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