London-based staff at a domestic abuse charity have announced indefinite strike action in response to “devastating job cuts”.
Yesterday, workers at Solace Women’s Aid said they would walk out from 14 February onwards after the charity proposed to cut its local team by a third and refused to reconsider its plan.
The decision was taken by Tower Hamlets-based workers who work as independent domestic violence advisors and are members of the United Voices of the World (UVW) union.
Of the 12 UVW members entitled to vote, 11 were balloted and voted 100% in favour of industrial action.
The charity would not confirm to Civil Society how many redundancies it plans to make but said it hoped to “resolve the dispute”.
‘Catastrophic impact’ on beneficiaries
According to UVW, Solace Women’s Aid is contracted to provide support to survivors of domestic abuse with Tower Hamlets Council.
The value of the contract the charity delivers has nearly doubled to £1.4m from 2024 to 2026, up from £783,000 between 2021 and 2024.
“Solace claims the council withdrew expected funding,” UVW said in a statement.
“Tower Hamlets has the second-highest rate of domestic abuse cases in London, while 70% of all domestic abuse victim-survivors are women.
“Slashing the Solace Women’s Aid team by a third will have a catastrophic impact on vulnerable people, predominantly women and children, and the quality of vital support services in the borough.”
‘We have worked tirelessly’
A Solace worker and UVW member, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “We have worked tirelessly to support the community of Tower Hamlets.”
They added that cutting one-third of the team would result “in further harm to victims of domestic abuse in Tower Hamlets”.
“Our main priority with this strike is to highlight the importance of our service and the impact on the community if the team is reduced.”
Isabel Cortés, UVW assistant general secretary, said: “Our members refuse to stand by while jobs are axed and survivors are left without the support they need.
“They have called indefinite strike action which shows their determination to stand up and win for all victims/survivors in Tower Hamlets.
“A third of the team gone means a third fewer women getting the life-saving support they need.”
She added that the strike is bound to have a “significant impact on support for survivors”.
“UVW members are striking with a heavy heart, but they’re doing so to preserve services in the long run.
“We demand that Tower Hamlets Council and Solace management act now to protect these life-saving services.”
Charity CEO: ‘We hope to be able to resolve the dispute’
Nahar Choudhury, chief executive of Solace, said: “We hope to be able to resolve the dispute, and will continue to make efforts with staff, the union and the commissioner to do so.
“We believe it’s in the best interests of our survivors and staff to find solutions.
“Solace remains committed to supporting survivors in Tower Hamlets and across London, whilst facing increasing challenges for funding for our vital services.
“We advocate hard to maintain our services at a local level and call for sustainable funding for specialist domestic abuse charities at a national level, and will continue to do so.”
Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2024 show that Solace Women’s Aid nationally recorded a total income of £14.4m against total expenditure of £14.4m.
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