Strike called off

A three-day strike that was to begin today (December 16) at the housing charity Shelter has been called off following talks at Acas, which resulted in a new offer being put forward to its 400 Unite members.

 
The original offer would have seen new starters lose up to ÂŁ5,000, with the pay of current frontline staff only guaranteed until 2016. The action was supported by two-thirds of those voting in the strike ballot.

 
The fresh offer includes better rates of pay for new starters and a reversal of the proposition to review frontline staff pay in 2015.

 
Commenting on the offer, Unite regional officer Peter Storey said, “It represents a significant improvement on previous offers by the charity and will be put to our members in a ballot over the coming days.”

 
Before the most recent offer had been put forward, Storey argued that cutting frontline staff pay was unnecessary given the healthy financial position of the charity.

 
“Shelter’s frontline support and advice workers are the lifeblood of the charity and deserve better than pay cuts while those with huge salaries at the top see their pay protected,” Storey said.

 
Shelter is a charity that provides assistance and advice for those in need of housing, while also campaigning for better housing policies.

 
Stay tuned on UNITElive.org for the latest on the new Shelter pay offer.