Unite Victory: MTVHA Redundancies Halted!

Unite members at MTVHA have secured a welcome victory in the case of two members who were due to be made redundant. (See here and here for previous articles).

As well as appealing against the redundancy threat, the members, supported by the Unite Housing Workers Branch, campaigned to highlight the brutality of dismissing staff when searching for a job would be impossible due to lockdown. The campaign involved a petition to the employer attracting almost 500 signatures in just a week, plus publicity through social media, and political intervention.

Following the campaign launch, emails flooded in to Unite from those who found the proposed action by MTVHA abhorrent and calling on the executive to reverse their decision.

Geeta Nanda, MTVHA CEO, and Althea Efunshile, MTVHA Chair

The pressure of the campaign has led to an agreement to furlough the members on 100% salary at least until the end of June, when the circumstances will be reviewed. This is not the end of the campaign, but offers a reprieve and allows Unite to continue making the case that the redundancies were unnecessary in the first place.

The members involved wish to thank everyone who offered support, signed the petition, and got involved, and also highlighted the critical role that Unite has played in challenging the injustice. We also heard from others in the organisation who had concerns about their treatment and will be engaging with them too.

If you work for MTVHA and have concerns, please contact Asst Branch Secretary Suzanne Muna for details.