Greenwich Council has been accused of threatening to fire and rehire workers in its housing repairs department, who have announced two more strikes in a dispute over pay and conditions.
Nearly 150 members of the Unite union walked out for two days last week in protest at plans to restructure the troubled department. Workers also took part in a strike last month.
More strikes will take place on July 1-2 and 15-16, leaving tenants with a reduced service concentrating on dealing with emergencies.
Unite says that staff pay will be cut over four years, with some workers losing nearly £17,000 from their salary by the fourth year.
It has accused the Labour council of refusing to negotiate as well as “making threats about fire and rehire practices”.
Labour’s general election manifesto includes a pledge to end fire and rehire, with legislation introduced within its first 100 days in office.
The council has said that some staff are earning over £100,000 due to a “complicated and historic bonus arrangement” and that it wanted to deliver “better value for money for our tenants”.
Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “Greenwich council’s plans are a brutal and unjustified attack on our members’ living standards. Many will be left unable to fulfil their financial obligations such as paying their mortgages and rent. Others will be forced into debt.
“That Greenwich is making noises about fire-and-rehire speaks volumes about its morals and business practices. Unite will not allow that to happen and the council and local politicians will feel the full force of Unite should it try such a move.”
Mary Summers, the union’s regional officer, said: “This dispute is entirely of the council’s own making. It is refusing to negotiate and hides behind ‘getting legal advice’ rather than sitting down at the table with Unite.
“The council needs to take this abhorrent pay cut off the table.”
Greenwich Council declined to comment directly on Unite’s claims about fire-and-rehire, and repeated comments that it had made last week after the first strike.
It said: “The council is committed to continuing to engage with unions. 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.”
The council has promised to revamp its repairs service after years of complaints about long waits and poor service. It admitted in 2021 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.
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