One of the country’s largest unions has threatened to ballot for strike action over its members’ “anger and discontent” at ODPM social housing policy.

The GMB, which has 10,500 members working in council housing departments, believes the government’s approach is wrong.

The union argues that stock transfer should stop and that councils should be funded directly to allow them to meet the 2010 decent homes standard.

The move comes a week after deputy prime minister John Prescott told stock-owning councils in England that this option, known as the fourth way, was not on the table (HT 5 November, page 9).

A GMB spokesman said this week a strike ballot of members working in housing departments was a “distinct possibility”.

The union could decide on a vote in a matter of weeks, he added.

“We are in favour of direct investment in council housing and [industrial action] would register discontent and anger among our members working in local authority housing,” he said.

Source

Housing Today