Coventry care workers to strike over working conditions

Staff at Victoria Park will walk out on 24 January

Staff at a care home have voted to take unprecedented strike action in a dispute over working conditions and the sacking of a manager.

The GMB union said workers at the Victoria Park care home in Coventry will walk out on 24 January.

The union has accused HC-One, which operates the home, of ignoring staff who raised concerns about the safety of patients and low pay.

HC-One said it would ensure residents get the care needed during the strike.

GMB and HC-One said the Victoria Park strike was thought to be the first industrial action taken by staff at the company in the UK.

The union said the strike was backed by 100% of members who voted in the ballot, which began last month

It said workers were furious about the sacking of a care home manager, who had raised safety concerns about the referral of hospital outpatients to the 32-bed home.

The BBC has been told the manager's dismissal was upheld after her appeal was rejected.

The staff who voted for strike action wanted the manager reinstated and an agreement on managing the referral of hospital patients.

GMB organiser Kate Gorton said the ballot result showed "the depth of workers' anger at the way they've been treated".

She said: "HC-One have a clear choice in front of them; face strike chaos or do the right thing by residents, workers and the community and re-instate a care worker that was cruelly and unfairly dismissed".

Staff have concerns about the sacking of a manager who raised issues in the referral of people from hospital

In a statement, a Victoria Park spokesperson said HC-One would "never penalise a colleague for raising concerns and will always take action if needed to improve our policies or practice".

"The change in leadership at the home was subject to a full and thorough HR process and was completed in line with our performance policy," the spokesperson said.

"We hold all our colleagues and leaders to the highest standards of professionalism and leadership, and will always act in the best interests of our residents."

The spokesperson said HC-One had taken "immediate action" to address concerns about the number of beds available for hospital outpatients, with changes communicated to all colleagues, and added: "We have not been made aware of any further concerns."

With about 270 homes across the country, HC-One is one of the biggest residential care providers in the UK.