Crawley Maintenance Workers To Strike Over Pay

Monday, 11 December 2023 06:00

Unite members who maintain and repair social housing for Crawley borough council will begin strike action this month.

Twenty plumbers, electricians, gas engineers, painters and other craftworkers who are employed by two subcontractors – Mears and Liberty Gas – are requesting a 10 per cent pay increase on their hourly rates to reflect the rate of inflation over the last year and the ongoing cost of living crisis.

The union says Mears has merely offered a lump sum payment that equates to just a five per cent, one-off increase, 'which is even below the seven per cent National Joint Council (NJC) local council workers offer'. Liberty Gas have made no pay offer at all.

Liberty Gas also gives fewer holidays to its employees than the other contractors and Unite is calling for harmonisation for all contracted workers.

Given the reluctance of the contractors or Crawley Borough Council to improve the offer, workers will head to the picket line on Wednesday, December 11 and January 8, 2024.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:

“This is shameful example of a council contracting out services to employers who then pay a pittance to their workers. Wages for these contractors have fallen massively behind those of local authority workers over the last decade yet they are recording millions in profits."

Unite say Mears Group registered pre-tax profits of £35.2million in their last accounts while Liberty Gas made profits of £5.5million.

Unite regional officer Malcolm Bonnett added:

“Mears and Liberty Gas are trying to get away with paying the bare minimum to workers who ensure social housing is fit to live in. They need to get their house in order and put a proper pay increase on the table or face further strike dates.”

“Ultimately our members want the contract taken back in-house under a local authority who has money to burn given its brand new £150m town hall.”