HOUSING association workers across the north-west of England have voted overwhelmingly for strike action.

The Unite members who work for the “progressive landlord” ForViva – a housing association with over 24,000 properties to its name – are demanding a pay rise to £28,500 for tradespeople and a 5 per cent rise for office staff, who earn between £17,000 and £26,000 a year.

This has been the final move of the exasperated workforce who have not received a pay award in the past three years.

This is despite the fact that the pay of the company’s executive directors has soared over the same time period, with the highest paid director at ForViva now being paid an annual wage of £381,000.

This financial pressure has taken its toll on workers, who describe running out of money almost immediately after being paid. A poll conducted by Unite found that not a single worker would say that their pay was good, with 92 per cent saying it was “bad” and 8 per cent saying it “could be better.”

The same poll showed that “pay rise” was the main concern of 100 per cent of all ForViva union members, and that 76 per cent of them relied on credit cards to make ends meet.

Yet despite the financial insults, workers at the company say that work is getting harder and harder at the company, where unreasonable management targets are placing great strain upon all the staff, who are expected to work increasingly greater hours for a lower real-terms wage.

Workers have been forced to urinate in their vans because of the pressure placed on them by these targets, meaning that they do not have the time to find proper toiletries, and also because they claim that they are often unreasonably denied access to the company’s offices.

Union members also fear that the cuts and financial management of the company means that they cannot live up to their commitment of providing quality care to some of society’s most vulnerable people.

In this context, some workers accuse ForViva of not caring about residents, saying that the unmatchable targets placed on workers by management means that residents end up having to do more work for themselves, which may place them at risk.

So far, the company’s management has refused to negotiate with Unite’s representatives over the pay claim. Indeed, workers are fearful of bringing up the union for fear that they will be victimised, and claim that there already have been several serious management attempts to victimise people who dare to become shop stewards.

However, outcry is mounting over the conduct of ForViva.

Union members tell the Star that a joint statement between Rebecca Long Bailey, Barbara Keeley and Paul Dennett – Salford’s two Labour MPs and Labour Mayor – has caused considerable anxiety in the company’s ranks.

The anger that has mounted at the company will not be going away anytime soon, and the fight for proper pay and proper housing facilities for working class communities will continue.

You can find more information about Unite the Union in For Viva here: 

https://www.facebook.com/UniteInForViva/ 

https://twitter.com/UniteinF