English Churches in firing line over pay
Filed Under Country Curtain | Posted on January 17, 2008
Related ItemsBovis warns of housing credit crunch Wandsworth Council calls for end to stamp duty amble House prices rise in October Keepmoat results prove impressiveProfit rise for Barratts Persimmon posts results Fixed rates more popular as affordability worsens Barratts reveal trading update English Partnerships exceeds targets Increased profits for Strata The hard work and loyalty shown by staff at English Churches Housing Group (ECHG) has been rewarded with a pay cut, according to the union representing them.
Unite members across the country are working to rule, following a strong majority voting in favour of industrial action. The collective protest does not exclude the possibility of taking strike action, the union added, if management is not prepared to better its most recent offer.
The union says its members were offered 2.5 per cent plus a little bit which it claims is below inflation. The Riverside Group, however, which owns ECHG, said its offer amounted to a three per cent rise two per cent more than ECHG is getting in terms of funding increases.
Unites national secretary for the sector, Doug Nicholls, said the offer does nothing to address the unions concerns over low pay. It also fails to reward staff for the extra duties taken on to help ECHG through its merger with the Riverside Group. In effect, it is a double whammy that amounts to a pay cut.
Employers like ECHG, which rely on human compassion and skill in terms of the support of their clients, need to recognise that a commitment to their workforce is their number one priority, Nicholls added. Our members commitment to the communities they serve has been abused. They have done more for less then to cap it all have been offered a pay cut. Since last January, management have had ample opportunity to show a commitment to their employees by building in a proper pay award to their contract and funding applications.
Last year, ECHG joined the Riverside Group to form its specialised subsidiary providing housing and supported living services for elderly and vulnerable groups. The lengthy process involved redundancies and re-organisation, including transferring its general needs stock to Riverside, and taking on board the Groups special needs properties.
Riverside Groups corporate services director, Ronnie Clawson, expressed disappointment at the action taken by Unites ECHG staff and added that those who voted for action represented less than 10 per cent of the subsidiarys staff.
When ECHG merged with the Riverside Group, there was a clear need to address serious issues concerning the long-term financial viability of ECHG and reduce operating costs%26hellip; Our subsidiaries and divisions within the Group depend on different income streams. Each area must be independently financially sustainable, Clawson said. The pay award of three per cent which is significantly above the average one per cent increase which we are seeing this year in our Supporting People contracts will enable us to protect jobs and help guarantee the long term future of ECHG.
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