Residents living in Livv Housing are braced for serious disruption to housing services from later this month as over 200 workers begin industrial action in a dispute over pay.

The dispute is a result of workers experiencing many years of below inflation pay rises. As a consequence, the workers have rejected a pay increase of five per cent because this does not reverse the real terms pay cuts they had previously experienced.

The two initial days of strike action have been called for Wednesday 16 October and Wednesday 23 October. An overtime ban will also be in place on both 16 October and 23 October.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Livv Housing should be ashamed of itself. This is an organisation that is fully able to provide its workers with a decent pay offer but has chosen not to.

“Unite has a total focus on improving workers’ jobs, pay and conditions. Our members at Livv Housing will receive Unite’s unstinting support throughout this dispute.”

The strike action will cause severe disruption to all of Livv’s functions including repairs, maintenance and customer services. The overtime ban will heavily affect emergency call outs.

Livv Housing manages and maintains over 13,000 properties primarily in the Knowsley area. Livv Housing is officially a not for profit organisation but despite this its finances are extremely healthy and it made a profit of £40,000 per employee last year.

Despite pleading poverty Livv has established a bonus pot of £140,00 for its small executive management team.

Unite regional officer John Sheppard said: “Strike action will inevitably cause severe disruption to Livv’s tenants but this dispute is entirely of the organisation’s own making. Livv has had every opportunity to resolve this dispute but has chosen not to.”

The dispute involves members of both Unite, the UK’s leading union and Unison. If the dispute is not resolved then industrial action will be further escalated.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

For media enquiries ONLY please contact Unite senior communications advisor Barckley Sumner on 07802 329235.

Email: barckley.sumner@unitetheunion.org

  • Unite is the UK and Ireland’s leading union fighting to protect and advance jobs, pay and conditions for members working across all sectors of the economy. The general secretary is Sharon Graham.