SHAC launch housing survey

A housing campaign group is calling on Unite members to take part in a survey which is hoped will highlight the impact that poor quality housing can have on the workplace.

Workers living in poor quality housing often suffer from sickness or stress that can result in them having to take time off from work. However this sickness absence is not recorded as a housing issue.

The housing survey is being organised by the Social Housing Action Campaign (SHAC), a campaign group launched by the Unite Housing Workers Branch initially as a network to link tenants, renters, shared owners, and leaseholders living in homes owned by housing association, council, and private landlords.

Unite rep and SHAC campaigner Suz Muna said, “The survey is on the impact of the housing crisis within the workplace. We think this is often hidden, for example because people call in sick with asthma, but there is no record of the asthma being caused by damp and mould at home.”

“I would encourage all Unite members to complete the survey and ask them to share with any relevant fellow members.”

SHAC aim’s is to capture data that can help more easily target trade union resources towards the right support for members, as well as providing campaign data. 

The housing survey is completely anonymous. It asks about the impact of rising rents, as well as illness and injury triggered by bad housing which leads to workplace absence.

This is the link to the SHAC Housing Crisis Workplace Impact Survey For more information on SHAC go to their website.

By Keith Hatch