‘Our staff use food banks while facing rent hikes from same firm they work for’

Real Britain joins the picket enactment successful Liverpool to enactment workers who are striking astatine Livv Housing Association's attempts to divided unit with a non-union wage award

When struggling workers saw the company’s blog station conscionable earlier Christmas, a simmering quality astatine Livv Housing Group boiled over.

“If you are a non-union subordinate and would similar to judge the wage grant connection of 5%, delight tin you nonstop confirmation of your acceptance and confirming that you are a non-union member,” the station read.

“A one-line email to corroborate you privation to person the wage grant and that you are not a national subordinate volition beryllium enough.” For unit who accidental they are taking concern enactment against the Merseyside Housing Association due to the fact that their wage is truthful low, it was the past straw. “When I saw the connection to non-union members I felt deflated, similar we’re not worthy of the company,” 1 national subordinate told us.

Another said: “We’ve got colleagues visiting foodbanks. What makes it worse, is galore of our workers are surviving successful Livv Homes. “Their rents went up 7.7% past twelvemonth but the wage connection is 5%. Our main executive’s wage has gone up by £30,000 since 2021. We’ve lone had 1 wage emergence supra ostentation successful 20 years.”

A workfellow added: “The lads having to usage foodbanks – my bosom goes retired to them. They’re facing rent increases from the aforesaid institution they enactment for.”

Monday sees the commencement of the TUC’s yearly Heart Unions week – organised to observe their relation successful workplaces. This twelvemonth determination is much to observe than most. The Labour Government’s flagship Employment Rights Bill volition overhaul existing commercialized national laws to “strengthen the corporate dependable of workers” – and spot spiteful restrictions connected national activity, introduced during 14 years of Tory government, reversed.

Labour has described unions arsenic “key to helping moving radical bargain and negociate with their employers”.

However, connection of this workers’ gyration seems not to person reached the Kings Business Park connected Merseyside, from wherever societal lodging supplier Livv manages and maintains much than 13,000 properties crossed Liverpool and the North West.

This week, section MP Anneliese Midgley raised the quality successful Parliament , calling retired the “unacceptable practice” of offering “pay increases exclusively to non-unionised workers”.

She added: “In March 2024, Livv reported reserves of £110.6million.Over the past 5 years, it has recorded yearly surpluses from £14million to £25m – yet workers who support Livv moving person faced years of real-terms wage cuts.” Midgley has asked ministers to amend the Employment Rights Bill “to halt employers seeking to undermine corporate bargaining by offering non-union members preferential attraction successful wage awards”. The quality has won the enactment of the UK’s biggest unions.

Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham has pledged “full backing” to striking workers “for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes”. This week Unison brag Christina McAnea visited the picket line, and TUC brag Paul Nowak visits contiguous with Midgley. Meanwhile Liverpool City Region politician Steve Rotheram and Knowsley assembly person written to Livv to inquire them to get circular the table.

Nowak says: “I’m arrogant to beryllium joining Livv workers arsenic they request the respect they should beryllium entitled to. Livv Housing’s occurrence is down to the efforts of its staff, but they person suffered years of existent presumption wage cuts portion Livv Housing has posted immense operating surpluses. Worse still, Livv Housing is present employing union-busting tactics to effort to disagreement their workforce. This lawsuit shows wherefore it’s captious we amended employment standards. Too galore bully employers are being undercut by the bad.”

Midgley points retired it’s not conscionable the workers who are affected. “The casework load involving Livv is mounting up, and having a atrocious effect connected people’s lives,” she told MPs. “Nothing is getting fixed due to the fact that its absorption volition not beryllium down and settee the dispute.”

Workers astatine the lodging relation echoed these fears. “It’s our tenants losing out,” 1 told us. “I spot the poorness successful these houses – it’s not conscionable the workers being sold abbreviated and neglected.” Local Unison rep James Robinson says: “Our members are immoderate of the lowest paid. They’ve been coming to america to accidental they’re tenants themselves and can’t support up with rent changes. Their income isn’t going up capable to screen bills. This comes connected the backmost of 10 years of beneath ostentation wage rises. We worked retired there’s been a 30% simplification successful existent presumption pay.”

Meanwhile Livv colleagues person go utilized to the steadfast blogging astir its troubles. Towards the extremity of past year, Livv’s CEO Leann Hearne posted: “We made the determination to cancel the Christmas parties a mates of weeks ago, based connected feedback from you… Christmas is my favourite clip of year, truthful it’s disappointing…”

A spokeswoman for Livv said the 24/25 wage connection of 5% “is 1 of the highest crossed the UK lodging sector… successful the past 5 years alone, we person offered a cumulative 21.5% wage grant and distributed a cosmopolitan £1400 cost-of-living outgo to each colleagues.”

She added: “As a not-for-profit lodging association, surpluses and reserves are not excess funds; they are…reinvested to amended services and enactment our communities.

“We were guided by instrumentality erstwhile implementing the 5% for non-union members and astatine the decision of the dispute, immoderate agreed connection volition beryllium backdated and implemented reasonably crossed the board. We person plans to enactment immoderate customers who request america during this time.”

Back connected the picket line, Livv’s employees accidental they person nary volition of giving up the fight. “The institution had a £42m surplus past year,” 1 told us. “It feels similar we’re past to beryllium considered each time. The greed successful the lodging assemblage is endemic – they marque multi-million lb profits, twelvemonth connected year. Our determination is inactive arsenic beardown arsenic it was 5 months ago.”