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Shelter staff to strike on 5 March

Finance | Gareth Jones | 7 Feb 2008

Union leaders at homelessness charity Shelter have chosen a strike date of Wednesday 5 March, after staff voted by 211 to 78 in favour of industrial action over plans to cut pay and increase working hours. 

However, the charity remains hopeful that staff will be persuaded to sign the new contracts on offer, with chief executive Adam Sampson (pictured) claiming that over 70 per cent have already done so. He added he was “confident” that the “vast majority” of the remainder would follow suit in the next few weeks.

In addition, bosses at the charity believe that the turnout for the ballot was too low to represent a clear mandate for strike action; of approximately 850 Shelter staff around 470 are union members, yet only 293 took part in the vote.

Shelter says the changes are necessary in order to compete for contracts. The charity’s income is approaching £50m, and around £12-£14m of this is from statutory sources. Its largest contractor is the Legal Services Commission, which is now moving to competitive tendering for its contracts, prompting Shelter to look at ways of cutting costs. 

Prior to the ballot, six months worth of talks had failed to produce agreement, including two days of mediation through ACAS, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

Sampson was also critical of film-maker Ken Loach, director of the documentary Cathy Come Home which led to Shelter being set up 40 years ago, who argued on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday that supporters should stop making donations to the charity. Sampson called the comments “unfortunate”, adding that such action “only serves to hurt the very people we all want to help”.

Meanwhile, Alan Scott, regional industrial organiser at the union Unite, called the proposed changes to pay structures and employment terms “disproportionate”, adding that his members believed there must be an alternative solution.

“There has been an overwhelming vote for industrial action, and that must send a clear message to Shelter managers that it is time to change track.”

He went on to imply that the charity had spent wastefully in other areas. “In recent times Shelter has spent at least half a million pounds on refurbishing its head office, has employed six new change managers and ensured that senior management pay is in line with 'the market'.

“Our members believe that some of this money could have been used to protect their agreed terms and conditions of employment.”

He also indicated his hope that further talks might take place. “We hope that the strike action will not be necessary, and that at this late stage Shelter management will work with us to resolve the dispute through negotiation. But our members have made it clear that they are not prepared to see their rights and working conditions destroyed.”

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