Up to 1,100 staff at Action for Children could strike over pay after a ballot yesterday - but the charity has said only 5 per cent of staff back the action.
Unison said that of the 700 union members at Action for Children, there was a 25 per cent turn out to vote in the ballot. A total of 74 per cent voted for strike action, while 85 per cent were in favour of some form of industrial action.
Of the 400 Unite members at Action for Children, 25 per cent voted in the ballot. Unite said that 71 per cent voted for strike action, while 88 per cent backed industrial action of some sort.
The charity has imposed a one per cent pay award for 2015/16, with no cost of living rise for 40 per cent of the 5,000 strong workforce, which the unions strongly object to. Unison and Unite have both urged managers at Action for Children to reconsider its position to avoid strike action.
They also said that the charity intends to remove contractual pay increments for new starters, while refusing to play the UK living wage of £8.25 (or £9.40 in London), and cut mileage rates.
Action for Children’s chief executive Sir Tony Hawkhead said the charity had made every effort to make an agreement throughout a six-month negotiating process last year.
“In an organisation which has a workforce of nearly 5,000, there are around 1,100 trade union members, of which only a quarter of members voted,” he said. “We are saddened by the ballot result, which in real terms means that only 5 per cent of staff backed industrial action.
“However, we respect the right of trade union members who choose industrial action. Our top priority is to ensure this has the minimum disruption to our frontline services. Action for Children exists to help the country’s most disadvantaged children and families. We have been working closely with operational managers to put in place contingency plans with the aim of maintaining business as usual for people who depend on our services.”
Action for Children is not the only charity to have faced the prospect of strike action. Union members at Shelter threatened strike action in 2014 in protest over changes of pay at frontline staff.
