Hundreds of housing maintenance staff to strike

Strike action is planned on 28 October and nine further days in November over a pay dispute

Hundreds of repair workers across the Midlands are set to walk out on a 10-day strike, potentially disrupting 30,000 households.

The gas engineers, electricians, construction workers and admin staff from Citizen Housing, who are members of the Unite union, are taking the industrial action.

More than 200 union members across Coventry, Birmingham and Hereford voted to strike, from next week, over what they say is a "derisory four per cent pay offer".

Citizen said plans were in place to maintain services for customers and wanted to "reassure our tenants and leaseholders that we are committed to doing everything possible to minimise disruption during the strike days".

Strike action is due to take place on 28 October and 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25 and 29 November, with the union promising "industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved."

Critical maintenance and repair services for more than 30,000 homes in Birmingham, Coventry, Worcester and Hereford be impacted.

Unite regional officer Sharon Harding said: “The responsibility for the disruption caused to residents lies entirely at the door of Citizen Housing. It can easily afford to offer these workers a fair pay rise but is choosing not to."

Citizen said the company understood the pressures facing colleagues and would "continue to provide support where we can."

"Citizen has offered a four per cent pay increase across the organisation, which is in line with pay increases seen across the wider housing sector.