New survey highlights housing staff discontent over pay
Nearly 60% of housing workers are dissatisfied with their pay according to a survey conducted by Inside Housing and Hays Social Housing – a consultancy used by many employers in the sector.
Only around 10% of employers said they had awarded better than cost of living increases while only half said they would boost pay in the year from August. Richard Gelder, Hays’ director of social housing, is quoted as saying that this reflects the sectors “conservative” approach to pay. “The only places we really see salary increases outstripping that is in the very senior management and specialised roles, for which there are by definition fewer folk in the market.”
Reflecting the pressures created by welfare “reform” rent recovery is an area that management have been prepared to improve pay. We know from the Inside Housing survey of Chief Executive pay that pay and pension improvements for them again outstripped inflation this year – as it has done repeatedly in recent years.
Unite negotiators often have reason to challenge research from Hays Social Housing but anyone who works in the sector is likely to have noticed that staff are increasingly angry about pay. As we have reported on this website it isn’t that the sector is in financial trouble – housing associations regularly book record surpluses – see here
Unite reps should be taking this issue to members. Unite LE1111 branch secretary Suzanne Muna has set out what to do here
Keep us posted on the branch committee on how you get on. A report by Keith Cooper of Inside Housing can be found here