There have been big developments this week in the ongoing dispute at homelessness charity St Mungo’s. As of Tuesday (27 June), the workers have moved to indefinite strike action.
The workers, organised in Unite the Union, originally balloted for four weeks of walkouts. This initial month-long wave of action ended on Monday.
From the beginning, the St Mungo’s workers have been met with belligerence and bullying from the bosses, who have refused to engage in negotiations.
This has forced the charity workers – numbering in the hundreds, employed at sites across southern England – to escalate their struggle and take more militant action.
Unite, meanwhile, are reporting that union membership at the organisation has grown to 800 since the dispute began.
At the same time, the workers are raising radical demands, calling on the St Mungo’s bosses to open up their books.
In doing so, they are showing the way forward for workers in struggle everywhere.
Homeless crisis
This battle truly started 18 months ago, when the St Mungo’s workers demanded a 10% pay rise, in an effort to keep up with inflation.
But the roots of the dispute go much deeper than pay, and have been long in the making.
“It’s absolutely crucial that we step up as workers,” stated one worker on the picket line in Hackney, London, speaking to Socialist Appeal activists. “This is not just about pay, this is about saving what we can of these frontline services.”
The deepening crisis of capitalism is revealing the anarchy of the housing market, with rents soaring and evictions exploding. As a result, these services to protect the homeless are needed now more than ever.
But instead, over the last decade, the callousness of the bosses has been on full display, as they carve up what they can of the charity, whilst treating themselves to the spoils.
A host of important roles have been axed. St Mungo’s frontline teams used to be made up of mental health workers and other specialists – for example, in substance abuse. Scandalously, however, none of these positions still exist.
Burnout and disrepair
The workers that remain, meanwhile, have seen their wages and conditions attacked. Holiday allowance has been cut by two days. And pay has been slashed by 30% in real terms over the last decade.
The bosses, however, have seen their pay increase by 385% in the same time period.
There is incredible burnout amongst the workforce. “People can no longer afford to do this job,” striking workers told us.
The result is a high turnover of staff, particularly affecting the duty workers – the lowest paid workers in the organisation, who are tasked with repairs in the shelters.
This, in turn, has led to the charity’s accommodation falling into complete disrepair, with leaks, broken doors, and smashed windows not being fixed for months.
Support vs scandals
The bosses have forced the hand of the workers. They have no choice but to fight to protect their own jobs, pay, and conditions, and those who rely on these vital services.
After the original ballot for four weeks of action, the bosses agreed to come to the negotiating table. But union reps had to walk out after just 20 minutes, after being verbally abused and bullied by the charity’s CEO.
This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the bosses’ scandalous antics.
They have also purposefully moved pay dates in order to hurt the strikers financially. And they have continuously claimed that the strikes will hurt the homeless, who are left without the support of the frontline workers.
This is a cynical attempt to turn the goodwill of the charity workers against them. But the strikers have continuously and patiently put forward their own perspective.
“What causes disruption for our clients is the high turnover, which every client has experienced,” stated St Mungo’s workers on the picket line. “This is the real disruption: the instability of the key worker having to leave because they cannot afford their bills, or have too high a workload.”
The charity’s clients have been very supportive, understanding that the workers are not only striking over pay and conditions, but also for the wellbeing of the homeless.
At a rally outside Camden council, for example, a letter was read out from one client, who emphasised his support for the strikes, wishing the workers good luck.
This kind appreciation towards the striking St Mungo’s workers stands in stark contrast to the vitriolic language of the bosses.
Open the books
The workers have also put forward bold demands. This includes calls for the charity to open up its books, since the bosses claim that the money for pay rises does not exist.
“We cannot move forward with negotiations without the bosses being honest and willing to negotiate in good faith,” one worker told us.
But this demand to examine the charity’s accounts goes further than simply asking for proof. The workers are worried that if money has been drained from the coffers, then this is evidence of dodgy dealings taking place: the bosses lining their pockets even more than anticipated.
Either way, it is the workers and clients who will be made to pay for any impropriety.
Revolving door
It is clear from this dispute that it is the workers who really care about the wellbeing of the homeless.
The bosses, meanwhile, have shown that they are more interested in cutting services and enriching themselves. The current St Mungo’s CEO, for example, is paid more than the Prime Minister!
Furthermore, the workers could lose their jobs entirely. Management, however, will simply move onto another well-paid position. Already, there is an established revolving door between Whitehall, big business, and the tops of the charity sector.
As one worker on a picket line pointed out, “we could do our job fine without senior management”.
Militancy and strength
As the bosses and Tories go on the offensive, more and more layers of the crisis-ridden charity sector – and of the working class more widely – will be pushed into taking action.
The workers at St Mungo’s are showing the way forward, with their strong resolve, solid organisation, and militant demands.
They can see the bigger picture. They know what dire future lies ahead under capitalism. And they know that they can only rely on their own strength, and the power of the organised working class, to fight these necessary battles.
“This is all part of a bigger trend of resources being sucked away from the frontline services and towards a central bureaucracy,” one worker stated on the picket lines.
“[These strikes] are for the heart of the organisation. It is for pay, but also to help St Mungo’s to carry on doing what it was set up for – to help homeless people, and not to stuff the pockets of senior managers.”
“It’s important to emphasise that if we want public services to continue, workers need to be paid properly,” this same striker continued.
“A lot of people say they cannot afford to do this job. They love this job, but they can’t afford to pay their bills. I want this to change, and I know we can change it.”
We say:
- Solidarity with the St Mungo’s workers! All out to victory!
- Unite the struggles! Coordinate action to win!
- Make the billionaires pay for this crisis! Expropriate the super-rich to provide decent housing, pay, and services for all!
