Pay deal 'backsliding'

About 120 housing repair workers at Greenwich council will strike for two days later this month after bosses reneged on a settlement over a new pay structure, Unite said today (March 10).

 

Last October, Unite called off industrial action after a deal was hammered out with the Royal Borough of Greenwich for the carpenters, electricians and plumbers based at the Birchmere depot, Eastern Way, London SE28 8BF.

 

Unite today accused the council’s management of ‘backsliding’ in failing to implement the new pay structure. As a result, there will be two 24-hour strikes on 23 and 24 March, starting at just past midnight and ending at 23:59pm.

 

Last autumn’s deal promised that the instances when Unite members’ pay can drop will be minimised. There will also be ‘pay protection’ and, most importantly, no imposition of any changes unilaterally.

 

Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said, “Unite negotiated a settlement in good faith last October, but the management have been foot dragging and backsliding ever since.

 

“We thought we had a deal, but apparently that has turned out to be a mirage,” he added. “As a result, we are calling two 24-hour strikes later this month which will severely disrupt repairs and renovations to the council’s properties.

 

“However, there is still time for the council to implement the agreement that it freely entered into before the first strike day.”