Branch Secretary : info@housingworkers.org.uk
  

L&Q recruits have posts deleted barely a week after starting

Disappointment and sadness

 

Imagine the outrage if a CEO of a major Housing Association were appointed only to be told that their post would be deleted the following week. This is exactly what has happened to a group of Tenancy Management Officers who were recently recruited at L&Q. Barely a week after starting their new jobs they were told that their posts were going to be deleted. When recruiting workers most employers attempt to show workers their best side before showing their true colours. Not so with L&Q apparently!

 

When Unite got wind of this we decided to host a meeting which gave these workers a platform to share their experiences and speak out against this appalling treatment. Many of those who went through the recruitment process told Unite that it was a gruelling experience, but they were ultimately very happy to be appointed. Unfortunately, that sense of happiness quickly turned into disappointment and sadness when they realised that their posts would be deleted. 

 

Questioning integrity of employer

 

Some of those workers had transferred from other "secure" roles in L&Q without any knowledge of a potential restructure which would put their new roles at risk. Other workers had resigned from their previous employment, leaving behind secure and permanent jobs for what they believed to be a step up and the next chapter in their working career. Many of these workers now regret their decision and are questioning the integrity of an employer who could recruit workers knowing that their positions would be deleted within weeks of their appointment. 

 

Earlier this year when L&Q's former CEO resigned from his very lucrative position that he had held for 13 years, he told staff that he was not afraid to "step off the cliff" as he put it because, "a big hand stretched out its fingers and caught me." He went on to add that, "We all fear change but most of us land on our feet"! Perhaps what he meant to say was that most CEOs land on their feet, not ordinary workers. The disgruntled workers who recently spoke to Unite regarding their treatment at L&Q haven't felt the reassuring cushion of an outstretched hand instead they have been treated to a two fingered salute! 

 

Workers aren’t sitting back

 

However, we are glad to report that those workers aren't sitting back and taking it. They are demanding that the employer treats them with dignity and unite is proud to stand in solidarity with them. Employers should not be allowed to treat workers like this but to do so in the wake of the pandemic is doubly unacceptable. Unite now intends to write to L&Q to demand the following on behalf of these workers: 

 

  • All the workers who were recently appointed as Tenancy Management Officers should be retained and automatically slotted into any new post which is created to replace the former positions.
  • No compulsory redundancies.
  • None of the recently appointed workers should have to reapply for their job.
  • Conditions and pay in any new role should at least match those of the former property manager post. No worker should suffer worse conditions as a result of any changes.

12 October 2021

 

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