Green Party continues to back Shelter strikes
24 April 2008
Green Party Principal Speaker Dr. Derek Wall today pledged Green Party support for the workers of the housing charity Shelter, who are taking further industrial action tomorrow and Friday after rejecting out of hand a revised contract offer from Shelter managers.
The original dispute erupted earlier in the year, after Shelter managers demanded staff work an extra two and a half hours a week without additional pay - lost income worth an average of £1,700 per person over a year, despite Shelter's 2007 annual report revealing an annual income of £49.1m, with staff costs of £27.7m(1).
The charity's Chief Executive Adam Sampson emailed Shelter employees informing them: 'Those who decide that they are not prepared to work under the new arrangements will, with regret, be issued with notices of dismissal.' The first batch of dismissal notices issued to staff are due to expire today. Those staff members are being told that if they want to continue in their jobs, they have to sign the new inferior contracts, on poorer pay and conditions.
Union members were recently balloted on whether to accept or reject the new offer. Members voted to reject this, which further escalated the industrial dispute and led to this weeks strike.
Dr. Wall, who was a founder of the Green Party Trade Union, said
"There are a number of industrial disputes in the news at present, but I don't think we should forget the demand of Shelter workers for fair pay and conditions.
"Workers at Shelter originally took industrial action because they were told by the homeless charity managers that their wages must be cut. The Green Party of England and Wales supported the staff strikes then, and we support them now.
"It is very sad that a charity which tries to tackle social injustice is treating its workers in this manner, and we call on Shelter to reject pay cuts for its hard working staff."
