Clarion: a fair slice of the cake?

Undervalued, overworked

We were going to send some cake round today but decided to eat it ourselves and tell you to know how much we enjoyed it. We’ve heard you’ve got so much work, increased targets and, most, working way past your hours. So how could you find the time to take a break an enjoy it? So we thought a picture of the would enough.  **Disclaimer – This is a joke. (It’s not that funny.)

Seriously though, most of us like a bit of cake, and it feels a bit rough when its being dished out and you don’t get a piece or its way smaller than some others get. So its no wonder that workers at Clarion (the merger of  Circle and Affinity Sutton) workers are feeling increasingly undervalued and overworked.

Unite opposes the below-inflation 2.5% management-Unison deal. This follows our reps and members voting via a survey and meetings to fight for a 4% pay rise.

Yet the 15/16 accounts of Affinity Sutton and Circle reveal respective surpluses of £145million (up 15% upon the previous year) and £85.8million (up 27% on the previous year). CEO Keith Exford?s pay rose by £23.9K (7.9%) to £325,527. Why couldn’t some of that surplus be used to effectively staff the organisation AND pay a decent wage?

In a recent survey of the Unite membership at Clarion, 75% reported working overtime for free. 72% of those surveyed were in debt, way above both the national and regional average.  Our members tell us they want to do provide decent and safe housing services. However increasing surpluses and senior pay appear to be a priority putting staff and services at risk.

As inflation has hit 3.7%,  predicted to reach 4% by the summer, the  mangement-Unison deal 2.5% is a pay cut in real terms. The pay award to be implemented in the end of July also does not cover staff on ‘protected’ pay, who will see no rise at all. And this doesn’t even cover the bonus offers….. Hardly a fair slice of the cake is it?

Time to get a fair share of the cake?

* Sign and share the petition for a 4% pay rise. Deadline for these is either email UniteClarion@gmail.com or hand over at the next members meeting on 7th July.  

Click download below for pay leaflet

*Join Unite or recruit a member!

"Member get member": Recruit someone who works in your team. You get £25 if they fill in your membership number when joining online here

"Did you know?" notes:

RPI (Retail Price Index) vs CPI (Consumer Price Index) – RPI was the UK original measure of cost of living, CPI was developed by the EU and used from 1996 here for European comparisons  for compliance of the Maastrict treaty whilst not fully reflecting the cost of living. RPI includes housing, council tax, Income tax, Insurance which CPI does not. Therefore you’ll often see it being around 1% lower