Citizen Housing repair workers to stage 10 day strike

[dutchman]

The housing association says it is putting plans in to place ahead of the huge walk-out to ensure services are not impacted



Hundreds of Citizen repair workers across Coventry and Birmingham are set to stage a huge walk-out. Unite the union has confirmed that gas engineers, electricians, construction workers and admin staff are to go on strike for ten days.

200 union members from across the region, including Coventry, Birmingham and Hereford, voted to walk out over what has been described as a 'derisory' four per cent pay offer from Citizen Housing. The union says that even with the four per cent offer, some workers will still only be on the national minimum wage.

Critical maintenance and repair services for more than 30,000 homes across the area including the Hillfields, Tile Hill, Spon End, Riley Square and Jardine Crescent areas of the city, the union has claimed. But Citizen has said that is already putting places in place to reduce the impact on services.

The strike action is planned for October 28 as well as November 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25 and 29. The union has said that industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved.

Unite regional officer Sharon Harding 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.”

A spokesperson from Citizen explained that they have put plans in place to ensure that service delivery will not be impacted. The full statement reads: "We are aware that ten per cent of our colleagues have voted in favour of industrial action, scheduled to take place on October 28th. This is in relation to a pay negotiation in which Citizen has offered a pay increase of 4 per cent across our organisation.

"The 4 per cent pay increase follows a wholesale review of Citizen's pay framework, which saw a significant investment in colleagues’ pay. This review benchmarked salaries against the wider housing sector and our offer is in line with the sector.

"As a social housing provider, Citizen has a regulatory responsibility to invest any operational surplus into our homes and we are moving forward with an extensive house building programme.

"We respect our colleagues' right to strike and will closely work with those not striking to ensure consistency. We have put plans in place to ensure that service delivery will not be impacted."

[dutchman]

I suspect this is just the tip of what will turn out to be a very big iceberg?