Hundreds of repair workers walk out over pay

Hundreds of workers are striking across the Midlands

Hundreds of repair workers for a social housing provider are carrying out the first of 10 planned walk-out across the Midlands over a pay dispute.

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

More than 200 union members participated on Monday, citing a "derisory four per cent pay offer".

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

The strike action, taking place across Coventry, Birmingham and Hereford, could disrupt 30,000 households, the union said.

Speaking at a picket line in Coventry, Sharon Harding, officer at Unite, said the workers had been underpaid for "a very long time".

"We're on strike today because Citizen Housing group have got millions in the bank and won't pay their workers a decent pay rise," Ms Harding said.

"This is not down to the trade people, this is down to Citizen.

"They could end the strike today if they would come back round the table but they've chosen not to."

She added: "It's down to the Citizen's managers to end this strike.

"These workers are traditionally underpaid and have been underpaid for a very long time."

Sharon Harding, officer at Unite, said Citizen should restart negotiations with the union

A Citizen spokesperson said the company understood "the pressures our colleagues face and are committed to supporting them".

They added: "We want to reassure our customers that both emergency and routine repairs are our priority.

"We do not anticipate any impact on services, though a small number of appointments for routine repairs may experience a slight delay."

They said: "Citizen has offered a 4% pay increase across the organisation, aligning with the wider housing sector.

"This year, over 70% of our workforce benefited from pay increases averaging 9% following a thorough pay framework review, with the remaining 30% at the top of their salary bands.

"The 4% offer would be in addition to these adjustments, meaning an average increase of around 13% for most employees this year."

Strike action is due to take place next on 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".