East Lancashire charity workers’ strike vote plan (From Lancashire Telegraph)

East Lancashire charity workers’ strike vote plan

10:00am Tuesday 4th October 2011 in News By Peter Magill, Chief reporter

CHARITY workers who support some of East Lancashire’s most vulnerable families are considering going on strike.

Union leaders said pay and pension terms are being severely affected for people working at Action for Children (AfC), under proposals drawn up by the charity.

And a vote has been promised on industrial action by Unite and Unison which could affect services in Blackburn, Burnley and Accrington.

AfC runs family intervention projects in Norbreck Close, Blackburn, and Accrington’s Adelaide House and manages two children’s centres in Brunswick Street and Tay Street, Burnley.

The intervention projects offer intensive support for families in crisis.

Protests revolve around plans to reduce protected pay periods for staff, following redeployment, from two years to one, and a salary freeze.

Dave Prentis, Unison general secretary, said: “Charity workers’ jobs have become increasingly difficult, with the pressures placed on them by the Government’s cuts, at the same time as rising demand for services.”

Mike Robinson, Unite national officer, said AfC pay was not keeping pace with inflation and pushing members into ‘further financial hardship’.

Richard Cove, AfC’s human resources director, said the charity ‘needs to be realistic about the challenges we face’, in the current economic climate, and strike action was ‘regrettable’.

He pledged to continue talks with the unions, in the hope of reaching a settlement.

“Our priority is to continue to deliver services for the most vulnerable children and young people we work with,” he said.