Walsall housing group workers to strike over pay on series of days over coming weeks
Workers at a large Walsall housing provider are to down tools for a dozen days in the coming weeks over a dispute over pay.
Members of Unite and GMB unions who work at Walsall Housing Group (whg) are to go on strike with the first day of action starting tomorrow.
Unite said the pay offer presented to them by whg – a 3.1 per cent rise, a £300 payment plus a more recent additional payment of £1,000 of which £500 is consolidated – represented a “real terms pay cut”.
Bosses at whg said they believe the offer was fair and were disappointed at the extra strike action being taken but would continue to have dialogue with the unions.
Action will take place on October 21, 24, 28 and 31 and November 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25 and 28.
Workers set to strike include electricians, gas engineers, roofers and carpenters as well as admin and support roles and the action could result in repairs and planned maintenance being delayed or cancelled.
Unite claimed the pay offer was in breach of the collective bargaining agreement it has with whg and is pursuing a claim for unlawful inducement.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Amid the worst squeeze on wages in living memory, it is no wonder that Unite’s members at Walsall Housing Group have rejected the imposition of a real-terms pay cut by their employer.
“Unite does what it says on the trade union tin and always fights for its members’ jobs, pay and conditions. Our members at Walsall Housing Group will be backed fully by their union in this dispute.”
Unite regional officer Nathan Allen added: “Unite’s members are taking strike action as a last resort as a direct consequence of Walsall Housing Group imposing a real-terms pay cut.
“Strike action will inevitably cause disruption to Walsall Housing Group’s tenants but this dispute is entirely of the employer’s own making.”
Lisa Wallis, corporate director of people and learning at whg, said: “We are disappointed that the unions have announced a further nine days of strikes, starting from October 31.
“Our main priority is to ensure that we continue to provide services to our customers and support our colleagues at this time.
“We believe we have made a fair offer and remain committed in resolving the pay dispute.
“We are in continuous dialogue with both the GMB and Unite and we are due to meet early next week. We will not be pre-empting those discussions at this time.”
