Branch Secretary : info@housingworkers.org.uk
  

Hestia: Unite calls for 13.5% pay rise

Just the start

 

 

On Friday Unite submitted a pay claim to management following discussion among workers.

 

 

We are asking that staff receive a 13.5% pay rise. Members felt that 10% was not enough, as this would only cover inflation, getting us back to where we were before the cost-of-living crisis. A 13.5% pay rise would help remedy the years of wage stagnation workers at the organisation have faced.

 

 

 

A 13.5% pay rise would bring the starting salary for recovery workers currently on £22,548 up to just over £25,500. A modern slavery advocate on £24,408 would see their wages increased to £27,700. These salaries better reflect the true value of our work. 

 

 

But submitting our claim is just the start. More pressure is going to be required if we want Hestia to substantially budge on the issue of pay. This is why we need to work on growing the strength and size of our membership. 

 

 

Unite wins

 

 

Unite members in other sectors are seeing real wins. On Friday, bus drivers in South London won an improved pay deal after 48 hours of strike action. Earlier in the month, fuel tanker drivers secured a 27 per cent pay increase, lifting pay by £12,000 on average. These gains were possible because the workplaces were unionised, and workers were willing to take action when necessary. 

 

 

This is why if you are not a member yet, we encourage you to join. This can be done online in a few minutes. If you’re already a member, talk to your colleagues. Share these emails with them. If they have questions you can’t answer, put them in touch with one of the reps. We will be more than happy to chat. 

 

 

The only way we are going to see real change is if we join forces and get organised!

 

 

 

Hestia agrees to meet with Unite workplace reps to discuss disability

 

 

 

Unite has submitted an open letter signed by many staff calling on Hestia to do more to support disabled workers. In response, Hestia has agreed to meet with Unite reps to discuss the suggestions put forward. 

 

 

Over the past 12 months, Unite the Union reps have supported a significant number of workers with disabilities and long-term conditions who have been let down by the organisation. It is clear the processes needed to ensure Hestia is a truly inclusive workplace are not in place. 

 

 

We are pleased that Hestia has responded, and we agree with Patrick Ryan that the suggestions we made are “interesting and helpful.” However, we are disappointed that Patrick himself has not agreed to meet with us, instead he has suggested a meeting with Jo Tilley Riley, the Director of Fundraising, and Natalie Purton Jones, who is the chair of Hestia’s disability network. 

 

 

We have gotten back to Patrick reiterating that we feel it is important that he is also present for this meeting. As CEO, it is vital that he is made aware of what is happening on the ground and hears directly from those impacted. We are yet to hear back from him on this point but will keep everyone updated. 

 

 

By Hestia workers

 

 

17 May 2022

POST A COMMENT!

Before Posting

We welcome debate and discussion on our website, but we also want an open, respectful, inclusive space in which forms of abuse or personal attack will not be tolerated. Comments will be moderated and will be removed if they are found to be unduly offensive. You should also be very careful in posting information about your employer. Employers do visit the website and if you think a comment could get you into trouble for releasing confidential or sensitive information, or for bringing the employer into disrepute, please do not post it. It remains your individual responsibility to ensure that what you post is appropriate. Please therefore just give a moment's thought to what you are saying. The types of comments that are likely to be moderated are:


  • Personal abuse or attacks on an individual.
  • Information which breaches another person's right to confidentiality.
  • The use of offensive language, including swear words, or language which is racist, sexist, or otherwise breaches equalities standards.
  • Anything that might place the Branch or the wider union in legal jeopardy.
  • Adverts or information which is posted for commercial gain.

* Name
* Email (will not be published)
Website
Comment
* field is required