More than 60 workers at Citizens Advice Hull and East Riding (CAHER) will go on strike for the first time, workers’ union Unite has announced.
The charity’s workers voted to strike after CAHER refused to increase wages in line with the National Joint Council (NJC) pay scales, which recommended a £1,925 rise on all pay points from 1 April 2022.
The strike is set to take place over four days between 31 July and 11 August.
CAHER said that its trustees “will continue to engage with the union and hope an outcome everyone is happy with can be reached swiftly”.
Unite: ‘Our members are right to strike’
Unite said that CAHER’s staff will strike on 31 July, 7 August, 9 August and 11 August and that “if the dispute is not resolved more strike action will be scheduled”.
Some of CAHER’s services will not be available during the strikes, but the charity said that it will provide telephone, webchat and email advice on most affected days to meet demand.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “For two decades, Citizens Advice’s workers in Hull and East Riding have dutifully accepted the NJC’s pay recommendation, despite it resulting in years of real terms pay cuts.
“But now, the charity is reneging on that agreement because they say the offer is too high. This is totally unacceptable and duplicitous behaviour by an organisation that can afford to pay.
“Our members, who are struggling with rising costs and are being treated appallingly by their employer, are right to strike. Our members’ jobs, pay and conditions are this union’s top priority and Citizens Advice’s workforce will receive Unite’s total support.”
Unite regional officer Mike Wilkinson added: “Our members care about the work they do and are not highly paid for it. They would rather be helping their clients than be on the picket line. Citizens Advice, however, has left them with no choice but to strike. The charity needs to implement the NJC’s pay award, or this dispute will escalate.”
CAHER: ‘We would like to be a place where everyone feels valued and supported’
In an online statement, CAHER confirmed that it has “received advanced notice” from Unite of planned strike action and has been in negotiations with the union “to agree a pay award for the year 2022 to 2023”.
“The trustees put forward what they believe to be an affordable pay offer, within the financial constraints placed upon them by the Charity Commission and managing a regional charity of our size. Regrettably, the union declined the offer and balloted its members on strike action,” it said.
“CAHER received notification on 4 July 2023, that the majority of union members had voted in favour of strike action. We are sorry it has reached this stage. We acknowledge this is difficult for everyone. The trustees will continue to engage with the union, and we hope an outcome everyone is happy with can be reached swiftly.”
CAHER said that it would like to be a place “where everyone feels valued and supported.
“Our trustee board are engaging with the Union and this is part of achieving that environment. Every day we see the huge strain the cost-of-living crisis is putting on people. We know our staff who provide a vital service supporting our communities are not immune from this,” it added.
In the year to March 2022, the charity had an income of £3.21m and employed 103 staff.
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