Hundreds of workers at housing association set to strike in row over pay

Members of Unite and Unison at Livv Housing group have voted to strike
-Credit: (Image: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)


Hundreds of workers at a housing association are set to walk out on strike in a dispute over pay. Members of both Unite and Unison unions began balloting their members last month over a pay row with Livv Housing Group, based in Prescot.

The ballot on strike action closed on September 19 and Unison confirmed workers have voted to take industrial action and go on strike after rejecting Livv Housing Group's offer of a 5% pay increase as they say it does not reverse a real terms pay cut.

The unions say the offer falls short of what the workers deserve after ten years of "real-terms pay cuts". UNISON Knowsley branch secretary James Robinson said: “These workers have faced significant cuts to their pay and conditions over the past ten years, all while Livv Housing Group has seen its income go up and up.

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“Livv Housing’s CEO Léann Hearne earns more than the prime minister, raking in more than £250,000 each year. Rents for tenants have also increased by 7.7%.

“Enough is enough. These workers deserve a decent pay rise. All they want is a fair, reasonable, and affordable settlement.”

Livv housing manages and maintains over 13,000 properties primarily in the Knowsley area. Within the group, Livv also has a maintenance and investment arm. A spokesperson for Livv Housing said: “We are aware that circa 20% of our colleagues have voted in favour of industrial action in relation to a pay negotiation in which we are offering 5% pay increase across our business.

“We benchmark all salaries regularly and our offer is in line with sector and regional norm. As a Social Housing provider and in line with our regulatory requirements our operational surplus is invested into improving and maintain our homes and supporting our customers.

“We have plans in place to address any operational gaps and our service delivery will not be impacted. We respect the rights of our colleagues to strike and will support our colleagues across the business throughout this process.”