Peter Lazenby
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A STRIKING worker from housing charity Shelter told how he was made homeless by high rents and low pay as he picketed his Manchester workplace today.
Shelter’s 600 staff in England and Scotland voted overwhelmingly for strike action after rejecting a proposed 3 per cent pay increase.
But their union Unite said the offer has left many of Shelter’s own staff unable to pay their rent, with CPI inflation standing at more than 14 per cent and RPI inflation at 11.1 per cent.
The worker, who did not wish to be named, told the Morning Star: “Day in day out we are advising vulnerable people who are having a homeless crisis.
“But this year I was priced out of the private rented sector. I spent summer staying at friends.
“Private rents in Manchester gave gone up by 20 per cent in the last 12 months. Prices are so high that I didn’t even manage to get a viewing.”
He said Unite had been negotiating with Shelter managers all year.
“But there’s been a lack of goodwill in terms of offering a pay rise,” he said.
“We are struggling to pay the bills. Obviously we do not want to be on strike. We did not expect this to happen at all.”
The strike will last initially for two weeks.
Tim Gutteridge, Shelter’s director of finance, said: “Regrettably, the cost-of-living crisis is impacting both our colleagues and operational costs, and we are doing everything we can to navigate these challenging economic times.
“Industrial action is not the outcome we wanted after months of talks with the union, but we fully respect people’s right to strike.”
