Shelter workers have voted “overwhelmingly” to strike over a pay dispute, the charity has confirmed.
Workers’ union Unite balloted 450 workers at the charity last month and it has now said that it will announce details of strikes within “a very short timeframe”.
The charity said the announcement of strike action was “not the outcome [it] wanted” but vowed to continue talks with the union.
Shelter said some of its services and charity shops could be affected by the industrial action.
Unite’s regional officer Peter Storey said: “Unite members have overwhelmingly voted for industrial action at Shelter.
“Management at the charity have a very short timeframe to put their house in order before details of strikes are announced.”
The homelessness charity gave all staff a 3% pay increase this April, as well as a one-off payment of £1,500 paid in instalments in response to the cost-of-living crisis.
Shelter continues to argue that this payment means non-management staff will effectively receive a pay increase of between 8% and 12.3%.
However, workers’ union Unite have called the pay rise “insulting” and “unacceptable” in the climate of the cost-of-living crisis and inflation being over 10%.
Shelter: ‘We respect people’s right to strike’
Tim Gutteridge, director of finance and strategy enablement at Shelter, expressed disappointment at workers’ decision to strike but said the charity respected their right to do so.
“Unite have informed us that their members have voted in favour of industrial action. While we await further details on when this industrial action will take place, we will continue to engage with the union. While this is not the outcome we wanted, we respect people’s right to strike,” he said.
“Some of our services and shops may be impacted when the action takes place, however, we will make every effort during this period to continue to serve those most in need of our help.
“We recognise the contribution made by all our colleagues in our shared mission of ending the housing emergency. Our ambition remains being able to support colleagues through these challenging economic times, while also being able to deliver our frontline services and campaign work as the housing emergency worsens.”
According to Shelter’s latest annual accounts, it had 1,335 staff overall. With 450 balloted to strike, this accounts for around a third of the charity's total workforce.
Shelter is an accredited real living wage (RLW) employer, but the RLW Foundation recently increased its wages by 10% in line with the rising cost of living.
A spokesperson from the charity previously said it would increase wages in line with inflation “as soon as possible”.
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