CAMPAIGN Livv pay dispute
n By Hajera Blagg
‘A FANTASTIC DEAL’
True grit of Unite members wins the day – and a pay rise
It was when Unite rep Dave spoke to a member on the phone who was in tears, that he knew how tough the road had become.
Unite members employed by social housing provider Livv, based in Knowsley, Merseyside, had been out on strike for months, since October last year. It was one of the longest- running disputes in Unite’s recent history.
“He was very upset, saying he was struggling, because his son’s birthday was coming up, and he didn’t have the money to pay for it – that took my breath back a bit,” Dave recalls, adding that there were many calls with members just like this one.
The striking workers had been through so much. They were up against a well-oiled propaganda machine driven by Livv management, and shocking union-busting tactics. This included offering workers – during Christmastime no less – a 5 per cent pay rise only if they confirmed they weren’t union members.
Dave’s phone call exemplifies the extraordinary sacrifices that members and their families made to achieve a better collective outcome for all. And those sacrifices weren’t in vain – against all odds, the striking workers won.
In June, after eight long months of strike action, the employer finally came to the table with a serious deal, and it was overwhelmingly accepted by the workforce.
The deal includes a pay rise worth between 8 and 8.5 per cent. Matched pension contributions will also increase from six per cent to 10 per cent, and a pension salary sacrifice scheme will be implemented to help members benefit from tax savings.
Workers will be given an additional three days’ annual leave a year, and there will also be an immediate reduction in the working week from 40 hours to 39 hours. What’s more, a working group from the employer and union side will be set up to look at a further reduction to 38 hours or less within 12 months.
9 unite buildingWORKER Autumn 2025
A similar working group will be set up to review all terms and conditions.
It’s a remarkable deal, given that workers had suffered more than a decade of real-terms pay cuts. Their pay had fallen well below the average for similar jobs in the social housing sector, and even though they technically had collective bargaining, in practice, they had nothing. Year after year, workers simply had to accept below-inflation pay rises. Meanwhile, their working hours grew longer and the stress of the job more daunting.
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These lads and lasses kept going…Even when their families were no doubt asking them ‘How long is this going to carry on?’ It truly humbles me what they accomplished together
John Sheppard, Unite regional officer
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Mark Thomas
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