Staff at a mental health charity based in Bristol will strike for a further seven days from this week due to an ongoing pay dispute, Unison has announced.
In a statement issued last week, the trade union said more than 100 workers at Second Step will walk out between 29 January and 3 February, and again on 6 February.
Pickets will take place outside offices in Bristol and Bath, where Second Step is a provider of state-funded mental health services.
The new industrial action follows four days of strikes earlier this month, with Second Step arguing it is unable to offer pay rises to staff without putting the sustainability of its operation at risk.
Unison, which is so far not formally recognised by Second Step, says its members are facing financial hardship as a result of the charity’s decision.
‘No meaningful talks’, Unison claims
In November, Unison reported that 78% of Second Step employees had backed strikes in a ballot.
Workers have seen the value of their wages fall year on year because the charity has failed to award increases in line with inflation, the union said.
The situation has been exacerbated, according to the union, by Second Step’s refusal to negotiate directly with it over pay.
“Staff have already taken four days of strike action, but the employer still hasn’t come forward with a fair pay offer or meaningful talks,” said Tim Roberts, Unison’s south west regional secretary.
He called on Second Step to “act urgently” to resolve the dispute.
Paula Sharley, Unison Bristol branch secretary, added: “Employers must recognise that unionised workers have a right to negotiate on their pay and conditions.
“That’s an essential part of a healthy industrial relationship.”
Second Step: ‘Clear and constructive’ offer made
Second Step has said it has made a “clear and constructive offer to establish a union recognition agreement”, following the standard process led by arbitrator Acas.
“As part of our offer, a final agreement on recognition would be subject to a whole-staff ballot,” the charity said in a statement. “This is to ensure all staff have a say in this important decision.”
The statement added that Second Step had “made our tight financial situation clear to Unison at every stage of our negotiations”.
Second Step, which has more than 300 employees, recorded a deficit of £300,000 for the financial year 2024-25 and spent almost £9.6m on staff costs, according to its most recent accounts.
“Our focus remains on maintaining safe, continuous support for the people who rely on our services every day,” the charity said.
“We remain committed to ending this dispute and we are working with Acas and Unison to see if we can resolve our differences.”
