MORE than 1,200 social care workers across nearly 150 Change Grow Live (CGL) sites in England and Scotland will be balloted for strike action over pay, their union Unite announced today.

Workers at the government-funded charity provide support for people facing issues with drugs, alcohol, homelessness, mental health, justice, and unemployment.

But they have faced a real-terms pay cut of between 15 and 24 per cent over the last decade, driving 46 per cent into taking a second job and 42 per cent into considering using a foodbank, according to Unite.

Anger grew further last year when executives enjoyed uplifts of up to 4.8 per cent — the CEO and CFO seeing pay rises worth £55,000 and £21,000 respectively — while nursing staff, counsellors, psychologists and recovery received a sub-inflation 1.5 per cent.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It is an absolute disgrace that while management are being rewarded with high pay rises, specialist staff on the front line are struggling to afford the essentials.

“Fair pay for staff at CGL is essential to protecting both workers and the communities they serve.”

A CGL spokesperson said: “Many people across Change Grow Live are struggling with the gap between what they earn and the cost of living.

“In terms of the 2025/26 pay award, the negotiation and dispute resolution processes, including the final stage of ACAS‑facilitated conciliation, were concluded in line with our agreed processes without a resolution being reached.

“During this process, we made an offer of a 2.5 per cent pay award, backdated to October 2025, which was not accepted. Having now exhausted collective bargaining, we have implemented that pay award.

“We recognise this will not fully address the challenges our staff are facing, but it is the most we can afford while protecting jobs and maintaining financial sustainability in the face of increasing costs and pressures on services.

“In relation to executive pay, the deputy CEO role is a newly created position which an internal candidate successfully applied for, and the reported change in salary reflects the responsibilities of that role rather than an increase for the same post. Similarly, the CFO salary scale was revised to reflect the increased responsibilities and complexity of the role following the organisation’s growth in recent years.

“All of our leaders are paid with reference to comparable roles in similar‑sized organisations and receive the same pay award as all other members of staff.

“Should a strike take place following the upcoming ballot process, we have plans in place to make sure the people who use our services continue to receive the support they expect and deserve.

“We remain open to constructive dialogue with Unite and are committed to working with them, and others across the sector, to make the case for the funding and investment needed to improve pay and conditions.”