Corbyn gives his support to strike staff
LABOUR leader Jeremy Corbyn has publicly backed a group of Welsh support workers who are striking over cuts to their pay.
Employees of Bron Afon housing association in Cwmbran have already staged a series of 24-hour stoppages in response to their wages being slashed from £23,572 to £20,416.
They embarked on a ninth day of industrial action yesterday.
Support workers at the not-for-profit organisation help people over the age of 50 to access benefits and act as advocates for housing and financial problems. They also provide practical support to those with mental health issues, addictions and experience of domestic abuse.
Unison said in addition to the pay cut Bron Afon has also removed staff pay increments, placing workers on spot salaries, and extended service hours.
But now Mr Corbyn has intervened in the long-running dispute and has pledged his support to the striking employees. He said: “I send solidarity to the striking Unison members at Bron Afon on their ninth day of action.
“We know how important you are to Torfaen, helping vulnerable service users stay in their homes. I thank you for your dedication.
“I urge Bron Afon to direct all its energies to resolving this dispute quickly and satisfactorily and support the work of local Member of Parliament Nick Thomas-Symonds and local Assembly Member Lynne Neagle in their efforts to bring about a resolution.”
Unison claims the decision to reduce salaries is “unnecessary” as the housing association has recently won “the biggest older persons’ contract in Wales”.
There are 12 employees in the supported living team and eight of them voted for strike action. No employees voted against strike action.
Peter Short, Unison regional organiser, sent a letter to Bron Afon Community Housing this week to voice his concerns about the pay cut. It stated: “The vital interventions of support workers allow service users to sustain their tenancies and keep their homes.
“Now, because of the slashing of salaries, some employees are themselves at risk of having to leave their homes because they can’t pay their bills.
“The benefits some service users receive amount to more than the salary of the people supporting them. Employees used to feel proud to work for Bron Afon and now they feel insignificant and worthless.”
In response, Bron Afon’s head of inclusion and support, Cath Pullin, said: “The supported living team is a service funded through Supporting People.
“The previous contract ended on March 31 and we worked closely with all the staff in the team to put together a tender for the new service last year.
“That work started last August and it was explained then that to put together a competitive tender it was likely staff costs would have to be reduced. If we hadn’t won the contract the staff on fixed-term contracts would have been out of work at the end of March.”