“Family Mosaic management are acting like bullies of the worst kind,” responded Essex regional organiser Nick Bradley, to news that the London and Essex based housing association intends to dismiss approximately 1,000 staff in their social care and support division unless they accept paycuts of up to 35% ranging from hundreds of pounds to nearly £11,000 a year.
In addition, the association wants to increase the working hours of all front line staff – general housing and care and support – from 35 to 37.5 hours. Family Mosaic will be writing to the affected staff to ask them to sign new contracts. If they refuse to sign the contracts, Family Mosaic will sack them.
The pay cuts are so severe that some members of staff “will not be able to survive,” said Mr Bradley, who also reported that “only the support staff and their local managers face these pay cuts – the senior management team continue to receive their comfortable salaries and benefits without cuts.
However, he said that “UNISON will be fighting to resist this and both strike action and legal action are being considered.”
The move comes despite the fact that the association’s operating surplus rose from 19% in 2009/10 to 26% in 2010/11, with its net surplus increasing to £34m in 2010/11, a rise of 4% on the previous year.
“Family Mosaic’s funds are amongst the very best in the sector,” said London regional organiser Colin Inniss, “in fact finances at Family Mosaic are so good that they have been able to purchase Hyde Housing’s entire care and support subsidiary, In Touch.
“Yet at a time of high inflation, they want support staff to take salary cuts of up to 35% and all front line staff to work a further 2.5 hours or else face dismissal.”
UNISON national officer Mike Short added: “These proposals are unnecessary and they are unfair. Many employers are attacking low paid workers’ pay, conditions and jobs, but few of them have the healthy finances that Family Mosaic have. They do not need to do this, and to cut pay and increase the hours of our members, and to threaten them with dismissal, is unacceptable.”