Staff at a housing association in the region have voted to go on a series of strikes in a dispute over an ‘insulting’ three per cent pay offer.

A trade union has said changes to pay and pensions mean workers at Thirteen Housing Group, which is based in Middlesbrough, that will leave them £1,000 a year worse off.

The group has over 35,000 properties in the North East and Yorkshire with the majority on Teesside.

Striking workers, members of Unite The Union, are responsible for property maintenance and administration. 

They are being offered an extra day’s holiday on their birthday, but are being hit with increased pension contributions.

Anger has also been fuelled by Thirteen’s boss, Ian Wardle’s pay package, thought to be worth more than £200,000 a year.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It is the same old story here - Thirteen Housing Group has millions in the bank and a handsomely paid CEO, but it’s pennies on pay and pension attacks for their workers.

“Thirteen Housing would be wise to heed this resounding vote for strike action. 

“It reflects the anger of our members who won’t accept an insulting three per cent on pay when real inflation is running at almost four times that rate. 

“The group has multi-millions in surplus cash in the bank, so Thirteen Housing can easily afford to meet our members’ fair demands.

“Their CEO is among the best-paid housing association bosses in the country 

“Unite fully supports our members’ industrial action in their fight for pay justice.”

The strikes are set to be held as the retail price index (RPI) rate of inflation is running at 11 per cent and with some experts predicting that food prices could soar by 15 per cent this year.

The strike days will be: Saturday June 25 to Tuesday June 28; Saturday July 2 to Wednesday July 6; Saturday July 9 to Thursday July 14; and Saturday July 16 to Friday July 22.

Read more: Factory near Darlington hit by second day of industrial action

A spokesperson for Thirteen said: “We would like to reassure customers that we have plans in place to maintain our services throughout the course of the industrial action by a small number of Unite members and we will we do everything we can to reduce any adverse impact on customers.

“It’s really disappointing that Unite members have decided to pursue this course of action.

“We’ve worked hard to offer colleagues the very best pay and benefits deal possible – one that is affordable, realistic and sustainable and in line with other organisations in our sector and region – and have remained committed to the negotiation process throughout.

“Our offer of a three per cent increase in salary this year has been well received by the vast majority of our employees. We’re also enhancing many of the benefits of working at Thirteen, paying apprentices more and adding to pension payments, which adds up to an equivalent of a 14.8% pay award.

“Rewarding the hard work of our colleagues is fundamental to Thirteen, but we are a housing association with a social purpose, meaning our income is reinvested in customers’ homes and services, not shareholders.

“Our social responsibility means the ‘surplus’ Unite refers to is committed for reinvestment into our homes and services, and this responsibility must be taken into account when we set our pay offer.

“Like all businesses and organisations across the country, we are also managing intense increased financial pressures as a result of a number of factors totally out of our control.”

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