Workers at homeless charity St Mungo’s have announced that they will strike indefinitely over a dispute about low pay.
They will be protesting outside offices in London, Brighton, Bristol, and Oxford, over a pay offer of just 2.25 per cent.
Workers previously held a month-long strike that ended on Monday, June 26. At the time, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Charity workers who should be on the streets helping the homeless have reached breaking point.
“The workers are now taking a stand.”
Altogether, 500 staff from Unite, Mungo’s union, voted to extend the initial one-month strike earlier this month.
Why are St Mungo’s staff striking?
Bosses at the homeless charity, which has a base in Brighton, were called “callous” by Unite. The walkout is taking place over the “indifference” of management to the “corporatisation of the charity sector”, as well as the low rate of pay. The Unite Union said that, after tax and deductions, frontline workers take home less than £20,000 a year.
The charity’s chief executive, Emma Haddad, described the news as “unexpected” but said they are still working to find a compromise.
“We are in the middle of discussions aimed at finding a solution and had a constructive meeting with Unite representatives on 12 June,” she said.
“Bringing an end to this unprecedented period of industrial action remains our key priority, so we can all focus on working together to support people at risk of, or recovering from, homelessness.”
In a statement posted by Unite staff, workers also accused management of a “shocking” dereliction of duty towards the homeless and the charity’s own staff.
Sharon Graham said: “The charity’s staff do not take indefinite strike action lightly but they face a desperate situation — they need St Mungo’s to listen and act.
“The indifference of the management to their own staff smacks of the corporatisation of the charity sector. It’s Corporate Britain plc arriving in the charity sector. St Mungo’s have executives on well over £100,000 a year and the same people insist their workers should exist on poverty wages with actual wage cuts."
St Mungo’s says it has already applied a pay rise worth 1.75% to staff’s salaries in the 2021/22 financial year, but that Unite has asked for a backdated and consolidated rise of 10%.
The charity said it could not meet the union’s demands and remain "financially viable as an organisation".
Unite balloted more than 500 workers across southern England, including in London, Bristol, Brighton, Oxford, Bournemouth, and Reading, and the union has grown to 800 members since the dispute began.
Unite regional officer Steve O’Donnell said: “St Mungo’s workers are sending a clear message to the Board. Management has lost control. Their failure to take heed of the strength of feeling amongst staff is the reason for this indefinite strike.
“It’s time to save St Mungo’s reputation and enter into genuine constructive negotiations to end this dispute.”
How long could the strike last?
Unite has a mandate for strike action until September 30.
