Workers at Walsall council have voted to hold a ballot to strike after hearing of plans for almost 500 redundancies in the housing department after stock transfer.
Last month it emerged that the jobs would be lost during a period of seven years once the authority transfers 23,500 homes to the Walsall Housing Trust, expected to go ahead in March.

At a meeting last week, members of public sector union Unison voted by 208 to one in favour of balloting for a one-day strike in January.

They also issued a refusal to cooperate with work connected to the transfer and said action would escalate if any worker was intimidated or disciplined in connection with the ballot.

Reg Evans, Walsall Unison branch secretary, claimed the union and workers had been misled about stock transfer’s impact on jobs at the council’s housing department.

He said a council leaflet was issued to workers 18 months ago promising job security for all council staff switching over to the housing trusts.

Others at the meeting said redundancies would cut the level of service available to tenants, contrary to assurances made at the time of the stock transfer ballot in October 2001.

A spokesperson for Walsall council said all staff moving over to Walsall Housing Trust would keep their jobs for at least one year after transfer. He added: “The council is still talking with Unison, and the union is interested in discussing proposals on an enhanced agreement on the transfer of workers.”

Source

Housing Today