{"id":18596,"date":"2019-08-08T15:41:30","date_gmt":"2019-08-08T14:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=18596"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:55:59","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T12:55:59","slug":"strike-action-is-never-an-easy-choice-here-one-st-mungos-worker-speaks-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=18596","title":{"rendered":"Why I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m voting yes"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Unite members at homeless charity St Mungo’s are having to consider taking strike action. In the first of a series, we meet the members having to make this tough choice as they tell us their stories – anonymously – to protect their identities.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On Monday (August 5) Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s strike ballot at St Mungo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s opened.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It comes after talks between Unite and the homeless charity collapsed without any movement being made on issues that threaten the jobs, terms and conditions and services our members deliver to some of the most vulnerable people in society.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Our members are starting to speak out and share their stories of why they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re prepared to strike to defend their jobs, their union and professionalism.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is disappointing that St Mungo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s senior management has let it get to this stage. But tearing up our union-negotiated junior staffing cap agreement, and reinstating race to the bottom terms and conditions is just plain wrong.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t become a project worker for a homeless charity for the glory or the money. I do it because I care and want to make a difference. It makes me proud that my colleagues and I are standing up and helping some of the most vulnerable members in society.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Shame<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a shame that our employer doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel the same.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been in dispute with St Mungo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s senior management over a number of issues since January; issues that we feel are a serious threat to our jobs and the integrity of the service.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After he walked out of the talks, Howard Sinclair, the chief executive said that changes to the junior staffing cap were necessary and that increasing the number of entry level staff in some services can be done in a safe and proportionate way \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not convinced.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The junior staffing cap was negotiated with Unite in 2013 to safeguard the professionalism and experience of front line jobs like mine, without it there is nothing to stop St Mungo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s from replacing skilled project workers with lower paid junior assistants, and that worries me.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unfair on project workers. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unfair on the junior staff, who will be paid less for doing the same job, without the skills and experience. But ultimately it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unfair on our clients who deserve better than a cut price, bargain basement service.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I would like Howard Sinclair and the senior management team to know that morale is at rock bottom. Good colleagues are leaving because of the stress.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I will be voting yes for strike action because I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel like I have any other choice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Want to help our St Mungo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s members?<\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Please support Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s St Mungo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s members by spreading the word on Twitter, using the #StMungosExposed<\/strong> #TimeToListen and sharing the graphics<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And if you work at St Mungo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, please share your story of why you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re voting yes for strike action: https:\/\/www.unitetheunion.org\/stmungos<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Click for more information <\/a>on the dispute<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Watch the video <\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unite members at homeless charity St Mungo’s are having to consider taking strike action. In the first of a series, we meet the members having to make this tough choice as they tell us their stories – anonymously – to protect their identities.   On Monday (August 5) Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s strike ballot at St Mungo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s opened. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2148,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1207,22],"tags":[76,179,1093,88],"wps_subtitle":"Strike action is never an easy choice \u00e2\u20ac\u201c here one St Mungo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worker speaks out","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18596"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18596"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25098,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18596\/revisions\/25098"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}