Charity workers in Bristol who help the homeless have spoken of their own struggle to keep up with the cost of living, including paying their rent. Shelter workers in the city joined their UK colleagues in a strike due to last two weeks after their below inflation pay rise.
The action was set to continue until tomorrow (Friday, December 16) but was suspended two days before due to Unite the Union and Shelter reaching an agreement on pay. Those working for the national charity were given a three per cent pay rise earlier this year while inflation has been above 10 per cent for some time with the Bank of England predicting that it will not go down again until July 2023.
Unite’s campaign during the strike highlighted the charity’s £14.5 million reserves and the six-figure salary of Shelter chief executive Polly Neate. Workers in Bristol who held a picket line outside the Shelter office in St Pauls said that they had “been left with no choice but to strike for fair pay” because their wages were not enough to survive the rising cost of living.
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“We fight housing injustice and we strongly believe that it starts with Shelter paying staff properly,” added a worker who did not want to be named. Others highlighted the need for the charity to use the reserves which are kept for a “rainy day” to pay struggling workers.
Some of those on strike in Bristol had been working in the voluntary sector for decades and up until now had never been on strike, but said that sadly they felt they had been left with “no choice.” Shelter workers have taken a hit after eight consecutive days without any pay but now they have been offered a higher pay award and strikes are currently suspended, while Unite members working for Shelter vote on the charity’s revised pay offer.
Another worker on strike in Bristol said that they felt calling a two-week strike was the only way they felt their voices would be heard. She said: “I think for Shelter, if we were on strike for 24 hours I don’t think anyone would notice.
“It’s a decision we’ve had to take really seriously. We all feel really sad that we’ve had to walk out when our clients need us the most.”
Speaking earlier this week, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It is appalling that staff dedicated to helping others with housing problems now find themselves unable to pay their rent. What a paradox - the workers who help the homeless are haunted by homelessness themselves."
Unite regional officer Peter Storey said: “Unite has been crystal clear from the outset that we believed that this dispute could and should be resolved through negotiations. Following the talks at Acas an improved offer was made and therefore Unite has suspended action to allow its members to be balloted on the proposed deal.”
Tim Gutteridge, Shelter’s director of finance and strategy enablement, said: “We are pleased the strike has been called off, and that through talks we have been able to reach an agreement with the union. Our ambition remains the same: to support our colleagues as best we can through these challenging economic times, while being able to deliver our frontline services and campaign work.
“What unites everyone at Shelter is our shared passion and steadfast commitment to defending the right to a safe home. We believe that home means everything, and our fight for home will never stop.”
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