‘ST MUNGO’S should hang its head in shame,’ said Unite ahead of today’s solidarity midday rally outside the homelessness charity’s London HQ in St Thomas More Square, Tower Hill, London, E1W 1YW.
‘St Mungo’s must focus on solving the strike rather than wasting money on strike breaking – it won’t work,’ insisted Unite yesterday.
The union declared: ‘As of today, 10 August, hostile employers will be stopped from recruiting agency staff to undermine legal strike action.
‘Up to now, St Mungo’s has been using a number of agencies to try to break the strike.
‘Now management is tying itself in knots, wasting money in a desperate attempt to transfer agency workers on to short term contracts.
‘Instead of solving the dispute St Mungo’s is allowing the ongoing strike action to cause major disruption.
‘The charity’s actions are creating an expensive and administrative nightmare.
‘Meanwhile, Unite has recruited 350 new members since the start of the dispute.
‘Workers are not believing the misinformation being peddled by the employer.’
Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said: ‘Companies and organisations had already begun to use agency workers as a way to break legal strikes.
‘Pitting worker against worker in an attempt to union bust.
‘As of 10 August, this will no longer be an avenue hostile employers can use.
‘St Mungo’s now needs to focus on solving this long running dispute.
‘They need to stop looking for ways to break the strike and start looking for ways to solve it.
‘St Mungo’s seems happy to increase rents and service charges by above inflation and to up their CEO’s £189,000 pay by five per cent, yet they refuse to treat workers fairly. Now is the time to do the right thing.’
