Dear Comrades
As you know, St Mungo’s Unite has been campaigning for an improvement on the 1.75% pay offer and the appallingly low rate of mileage offered by St Mungo’s. On 7 June, we received an email with management’s response, which reads (in part) as follows:
“The Executive Team discussed the proposal around mileage rates and compared the benefits of remaining as now, using HMRC rates, versus moving to the NJC rates or adopting a stand-alone rate. After consideration their decision was to remain as now and use the mileage rates as set by HMRC.
“On the points relating to pay, namely the proposal to introduce a multiplier to the NJC scale points, the amount of the London weighting and the geographical boundaries of the London boroughs attracting payment, the Executive Team agreed these elements formed part of our pay negotiations. As such they will not be approving any change as our pay negotiations form part of our recognition agreement and are therefore decided at National level via the NJC.”
Apparently, the NJC is sacrosanct to the point that a simple multiplier cannot be introduced into it to allow St Mungo’s workers to maintain their standard of living. But the mileage rates recommended by the NJC can be ignored because St Mungo’s bosses want to pay even less.
With inflation getting on for 11%, a 1.75% pay increase means, in real terms, a big pay cut. The problems this has created in recruitment and retention result in poorer services for our clients. Using agencies to fill staffing gaps means loss of quality and haemorrhaging of funds on agency fees. Mileage rates have not gone up for many years – if only the same could be said about the price of petrol and vehicle maintenance.
St Mungo’s UNITE wants to work in a spirit of co-operation with management at all levels. But decisions have been taken by the Executive Team which are unfair to the organisation’s employees, as well as clients and donors. We will continue to challenge those decisions and we need your support.
Many of you have signed our petition for a pay increase. It’s for all St Mungo’s workers, whether union members or not. The link is here
This petition is central to our effort to get a decent pay increase, and to involve non-union members in our campaign. Please circulate it to every St Mungo’s worker you know.
UNITE members have faced down intransigent management before and won. We can do so again. And we will.
We will be holding a virtual members’ meeting on 20 June at 1pm. We’ll circulate a Google Meet link closer to the time. I look forward to seeing you there.
Nationally, a march to demand action to deal with the cost of living crisis is taking place in London on 18 June. Details here: www.unitetheunion.org/campaigns/march-and-rally-june-18/ A great opportunity to march alongside workers from around the country who are fighting the same fight as us.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, you are always welcome to get in touch with us.
Best wishes,
Jacob Sanders
Convenor
David Oladele
Deputy Convenor
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