Staff at homeless charity St Mungo's will strike in Brighton today (June 9) alongside a local labour MP.
The strike will mark two weeks of strike action by members of Unite union - it's the half-way point of a month-long protest over pay - with workers joined by local activists, councillors and the local Labour MP, Lloyd Russell-Moyle.
St Mungo’s provides services to Brighton & Hove council to support the homeless in Brighton.
But workers at the charity have given solid support to the strike over a "pitiful" 2.25% wage hike.
St Mungo’s refuses to share its full accounts with Unite, but its annual audited reports have shown a cash balance of around £22 million for two years in a row, with reserves "well above the charity’s target".
After tax and deductions, frontline workers take home less than £20,000 a year. Many of the workers are now in fear themselves after being unable to pay their rent or mortgage on their current poverty wages.
Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said:
“Unite members at St Mungo’s have shown impressive resilience and determination. Activists from across the South East will be joining the workers to show solidarity.
“St Mungo’s workers are on the frontline fighting for the homeless and they deserve the dignity of being able to afford to pay their rent and keep a roof over their own heads."
Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown, Russell - Moyle said:
“The 7.5% real-terms pay cut being offered by St Mungo's is shameful. I'll be on the picket line tomorrow with workers asking for a fair deal in an incredibly challenging industry. They have my full support.”
According to Unite, the homeless charity "still hasn’t resolved a pay dispute going back to 2021 in the midst of falling pay and a cost of living crisis".
Unite regional officer Steve O’Donnell said:
“Brighton isn’t getting the services the homeless desperately need because St Mungo’s won’t pay its workers fairly. The strike is rock solid so management must realise that they cannot continue to ignore the workforce. This failing Charity needs to make a better pay offer and end this dispute.”
Emma Haddad, Chief Executive of St Mungo's, said:
"Our latest offer, combined with the annual pay rise proposed by the National Joint Council, would have meant a pay rise of at least 10% for those colleagues on the lowest salaries. This is what Unite has been asking for but voted against it.
"After all our efforts to find a solution to this dispute, a four-week strike is unprecedented and disproportionate. It will impact vulnerable people at risk of or recovering from homelessness.
"My door remains open to Unite, every day during the strike."
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