St Mungo’s workforce roundly reject a divisive management pay offer

The indefinite strike continues at the homelessness charity as management’s pay offer falls short.

The pay would still leave workers in fear of losing their homes.

Workers at the homelessness charity St Mungo’s have roundly rejected a ‘divisive’ pay offer from management aimed at splitting the workforce and breaking the indefinite strike.

The Charity’s pay offer falls short of alleviating the workers’ fear of being unable to pay their rent or mortgage on their current poverty wages. Unite reps believe bosses offered as little as possible to get the deal over the line and split the workforce.

St Mungo’s increased its pay offer from 2.25% to a paltry 3.7% at a time when inflation is 11.3% and food inflation is at 18.4 per cent. This is despite St Mungo’s having £16 million in cash and substantial reserves. The pay offer was rejected by a margin of 62%.

Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said: “St Mungo’s latest pay offer was a cynical attempt to divide the workforce and break the strike. That tactic has crashed and burned. So my advice is to get real and offer a fair pay increase to help these dedicated workers make ends meet.

“The workforce continues to have their union’s total support.”

According to the annual accounts CEO pay stands at £189,000 while the lowest paid frontline worker is on £20,000. Another highly paid executive has recently been brought in on a salary advertised at £130,000 but the executive could be getting even more. Over the last ten years senior manager’s pay has increased by 385% whilst front line pay had decreased by 30% in real terms. This is the corporatisation of St Mungo’s.

Unite regional officer, Steve O’Donnell said: “It’s plain wrong that workers on the frontline of the fight against homelessness are living in fear of not being able to pay the rent. If management took our advice and made that additional offer, that we proposed at ACAS, people would be on their way back to work.”
“Management need to stop wasting time tinkering and make a real pay offer.”

The indefinite strike began on 27 June. Unite balloted over 500 workers across southern England including in London, Bristol, Brighton, Oxford, Bournemouth and Reading.