Hundreds of employees at homelessness charity St Mungo’s have accepted a deal that includes a pay rise, ending a period of strike action.
The deal will see every worker who is on and up to point 36 on the National Joint Council pay scale receive £1,200 per year as an allowance in addition to a minimum of £1,925 annual pay award. This will result in more than 90% of staff gaining a minimum £3,125 increase in 2023-24, working out as a 7 to 15% pay increase depending on salary.
St Mungo’s employees will also receive an additional three days of annual leave and a permanent mileage allowance increase, while the charity has committed to a review of its wider benefits package to ensure modern and competitive policies around maternity and paternity leave, carers’ leave, sickness, and compassionate leave, an external review of spot rate pay and regular conversations regarding senior roles and senior pay, to working with staff to establish a wellbeing fund, and to sharing financial information quarterly with the whole organisation. It will also freeze executive director and chief executive pay for the current year.
Pay disputes and strikes
Strikes began on 30 May and involved employees, who are trade union Unite members, across London, Bristol, Brighton, Oxford, Bournemouth and Reading. They will return to work on Monday 4 September.
Emma Haddad, chief executive of St Mungo’s, said: “Following a vote, Unite has confirmed its members have accepted the new pay offer package we put forward on 18 August. The total cost to St Mungo’s will be just under £6 million.
“We are relieved with the outcome as we know this has been a difficult time for everyone involved. We look forward to working together with our colleagues and our partners as we continue to support people recovering from, or at risk of, homelessness.”
Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite, added: “This was a hard-fought battle resulting in victory for St. Mungo’s workers. They took action because they were under huge financial and mental pressure and they weren’t being listened to by management.”
Unite national lead officer, Onay Kasab, added: “The reps and activists have delivered a fantastic result plus hundreds of new Unite members. The pay deal isn’t just inflation beating it goes above and beyond previous pay deals at St Mungo’s which always matched local authority agreements.
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“The workers are to be congratulated for their resilience and determination.”
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