A union representing staff at the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) has said exploitation of workers is “all too common” in the charity sector as its members today strike for the first time in the charity’s 270-year history.
Employees represented by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) have voted to strike for two days, on 19 and 21 of September, the latter day being the day RSA hosts the Princess Royal for an awards ceremony.
IWGB has raised more than £2,000 so far via a crowdfunder to support the striking staff at RSA, who are demanding a flat pay rise of £2,800 for all staff members.
The union said the money raised will go into a fund to provide financial support to those RSA members who are disproportionately affected by loss of income due to strike action.
“RSA workers are determined to fight for a just pay rise and for an end to the exploitation that is all too common in the charitable sector,” its statement on the crowdfunder page reads.
“As their budgets are continuously squeezed, striking workers are taking a hit – let’s show them they are not doing this alone.”
When asked to expand by Civil Society, the union said: “RSA workers are fighting for fair pay, but their campaign is situated within a wider struggle in the charity sector against issues of low pay, overwork and temporary insecure contacts often with no opportunity of renewal, justified by a culture and expectation of self-sacrifice.”
RSA: Settlement needs to be consistent with financial sustainability of the charity
RSA said that since March this year, when IWGB became the recognised union at RSA, its staff turnover has been 19%.
The charity told Civil Society it started negotiating pay with IWGB shortly after it was recognised and had “made it clear throughout negotiations that any pay settlement needs to be consistent with the financial sustainability of the charity, otherwise we are storing up problems for the future”.
RSA has run an operating deficit since the year to March 2018. The charity said it has invested over £2m of reserves to preserve jobs through the pandemic.
“Acting in line with these budgetary principles, and following five rounds of collective bargaining conversations with IWGB, we awarded an across-the-board pay increase of £1,000 to all staff, except the executive team, last month,” it said.
“This was to avoid ongoing delays to increasing salaries against a backdrop of ongoing cost-of-living pressures. This was in addition to mid-year pay increases made to a large number of RSA staff, averaging around £2,100, during this financial year. We also committed to return to collective bargaining this month, once updated information on the RSA’s mid-year financial position was available.
“Having reviewed the budget position this month, and in line with aiming to run a balanced budget on a sustainable basis, we have offered a further one-off across-the-board payment to all staff of £500, except the executive team. If implemented, this would mean there has been an average salary increase of around 7% for RSA staff in the bargaining unit this financial year. These pay rises are skewed towards the RSA’s lower paid workers and the average pay rise is above the rate of inflation and pay rises in the public sector.”
RSA criticised IWGB’s approach to the pay negotiations but pledged to continue discussions “in line with our fiduciary responsibilities and with the well-being of our staff front and centre”.
Editor's Note: The headline of this piece has been updated after recieving further details from the union.
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