Scores of Greenwich Council housing repairs staff have walked out on strike over a restructuring plan that their union says will result in deep wage cuts.
Unite says nearly 150 workers are on a two-day strike, which is due to end on Wednesday. It is the second time staff have walked out, following a similar strike last month.
Greenwich’s housing repairs team is operating a reduced service and responding to emergencies. In other cases, the council says that tenants will be contacted so appointments can be rearranged.
The union says that a four-year programme of cuts will result in some workers losing £17,000 from their salary.
But Greenwich says that some staff are being paid over £100,000 because of a “historic and complicated bonus structure”, and has accused Unite of making unreasonable demands.
The council has promised to revamp its repairs service after years of complaints about long waits and poor service.
It admitted two years ago that its estates had hundreds of fire safety defects. The social housing regulator ruled that Greenwich had put tenants at risk but stopped short of issuing a formal reprimand, saying that it would follow the council’s progress in fixing the problems.
Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, accused the council of a “ a brutal and unjustified attack on our members’ living standards” that would leave staff unable to pay bills.
She added: “How on earth can a Labour-run council embark on such a scheme?. They need to think again.”
Mary Summers, the union’s regional officer, accused the council of making “thinly-veiled legal threats” against its members.
““Unite has made clear it will not enter into bargaining to cut pay,” she said. “The council need to confirm that this will not be imposed so the dispute can be resolved. This is disgraceful behaviour from a Labour council who should be ashamed of itself. Unite will be backing our members every step of the way in this dispute.”
A council spokesperson said the town hall’s finances had been “cut to the bone” after 13 years of austerity and that it needed to get value for its residents.
They added: “ Following months of dialogue, we proposed a new structure which delivers better value for money for our tenants, while still appropriately reflecting the work that our staff carry out.
“Unfortunately, at a point where we felt negotiations were nearing a reasonable resolution, we were met with a last-minute rejection and counter offer of a £60,000 lump sum per employee, on top of above average wages.
“This offer is unreasonable, unaffordable and frankly unrealistic – and unfair on staff who have engaged in productive conversations to this point and deserve clarity.
“While we respect the union’s right to ballot for strike action, we would very much welcome a return to reasonable discussions. In the meantime we have all the appropriate resources in place to carry out essential repairs for our tenants.”
The strike will be embarrassing for Greenwich’s Labour leadership – not just because it comes during a general election campaign, but because it has always prided itself on good industrial relations at the town hall.
The council has traditionally funded six full-time union posts, as is common in other large public sector organisations, but in March councillors approved plans to cut this to three, in line with other London boroughs, as part of its programme of budget cuts.
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