A RALLY has been called to defend jobs at Solace Women’s Aid in the east London borough of Tower Hamlets from threatened redundancies, the United Voices of the World (UVW) union announced today. 

Domestic abuse support workers have been told they will be cut by a third in the borough, which has London’s second-highest rate of domestic abuse, the union said.

UVW also said that bosses “appear to be attempting” union-busting after they reportedly contacted workers who appeared in a photograph published by the union, claiming that social media policy may have been breached and implying that disciplinary action could follow.

The charity has a contract with Tower Hamlets council, which was said to have doubled in value to £1.4 million for 2024-26 from the £783,452 received between 2021 and 2024.

But UVW cited Solace  as saying that the council had withdrawn expected funding.

One adviser at the charity, Kischa Green, said: “If we don’t have enough staff, service users will not get support as our capacity reaches maximum, and this means women will be at risk as we won’t meet the demand.”

The rally will take place at 5.30pm on February 6 outside Tower Hamlets town hall.

A Solace spokesperson said: “We have started a confidential consultation process with some staff members within this team due the merging of different funding streams.”

A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council said: “We commission Solace to provide specialist support to victims of domestic abuse, a vital resource for our residents. No changes have been made to the funding the council provides for these essential services, nor are any changes to funding being proposed.

“Solace is an independent organisation, and we do not have the power to determine their internal structures. We are working with Solace to fully understand what impact any proposed changes would have on local service delivery, and we have reached out to United Voices of the World to discuss the important issues they have raised.

“Tackling the scourge of domestic violence is a priority for the council and we have significantly increased investment through our new violence against women and girls’ strategy. We will continue working with partners to support the safety of women and girls across Tower Hamlets.”