Housing repair workers in Haringey walk out on strike – again

Members of Unite have been in a long-running dispute with Haringey Council, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Housing repair workers with the Unite union stage a protest in Tottenham (credit Grace Howarth/LDRS)

Members of Unite at Haringey Council’s housing repairs department have gone on strike.

The union’s regional officer Danny Hogan said members were “at the end of their tether”.

He said: “Workers have taken strike action on and off since September 2023 to try and get the council to get their house in order.

“With no meaningful negotiations taking place our members have been left with little choice but to take continuous strike action that will see repairs and maintenance on council properties grind to a halt.”

Since Tuesday (15th) the workers have taken “continuous” strike action. It is just the latest industrial action taken as part of a long-running dispute with the council.

The move comes after another local representative, Simon McCartney, said Unite had created a “dodgy dossier” highlighting the “failing” quality and management of the council’s housing repair service.

The document also stated the ongoing dispute could be “easily solved”, the council was “wasting money” on “poor quality” sub-contractors, and staff and resident safety wasn’t being taken “seriously”.

In response, the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for housing and planning, Sarah Williams, said staff had accepted “enhanced pay” as part of a national agreement in 2023 but added the council was “disappointed” staff had “rejected” their latest offer.

She said: “This strike action relates to a local pay dispute about terms and conditions. The housing repairs staff who are members of Unite have already accepted enhanced pay as part of a national agreement in 2023.

“We have made an offer to Unite members which guarantees an increase to the average pay, London Weighting and annual leave entitlement.

“We are willing and open to negotiation, but we will not compromise on the core principles of fairness or agree to terms that are inconsistent with the rest of the council workforce.

“We want to reassure all our tenants and leaseholders that we are doing all we can to minimise any knock-on effect on our residents during the strike days.

“All repairs can be reported to us in the usual way, and we expect to deal with emergencies within the usual 24 hours to keep our residents safe and comfortable.”

Simon argued, back in September, local government employers needed to “return to the negotiating table and propose a vastly improved pay offer”.

While the national bargaining agreement for local government sets out minimum standards, local authorities can agree better terms and conditions for workers.

Unite has recently agreed deals with a large number of local authorities including three other London councils.

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