Real Britain joins the picket line in Liverpool to support workers who are striking at Livv Housing Association’s attempts to split staff with a non-union pay award
When struggling workers saw the company’s blog post just before Christmas, a simmering dispute at Livv Housing Group boiled over.
“If you are a non-union member and would like to accept the pay award offer of 5%, please can you send confirmation of your acceptance and confirming that you are a non-union member,” the post read.
“A one-line email to confirm you wish to receive the pay award and that you are not a union member will be enough.” For staff who say they are taking industrial action against the Merseyside Housing Association because their pay is so low, it was the last straw. “When I saw the offer to non-union members I felt deflated, like we’re not worthy of the company,” one union member told us.
Another said: “We’ve got colleagues visiting foodbanks. What makes it worse, is many of our workers are living in Livv Homes. “Their rents went up 7.7% last year but the pay offer is 5%. Our chief executive’s pay has gone up by £30,000 since 2021. We’ve only had one pay rise above inflation in 20 years.”
A colleague added: “The lads having to use foodbanks – my heart goes out to them. They’re facing rent increases from the same company they work for.”
Monday sees the start of the TUC’s annual Heart Unions week – organised to celebrate their role in workplaces. This year there is more to celebrate than most. The Labour Government’s flagship Employment Rights Bill will overhaul existing trade union laws to “strengthen the collective voice of workers” – and see spiteful restrictions on union activity, introduced during 14 years of Tory government, reversed.
Labour has described unions as “key to helping working people bargain and negotiate with their employers”.
However, word of this workers’ revolution seems not to have reached the Kings Business Park on Merseyside, from where social housing provider Livv manages and maintains more than 13,000 properties across Liverpool and the North West.
This week, local MP Anneliese Midgley raised the dispute in Parliament , calling out the “unacceptable practice” of offering “pay increases exclusively to non-unionised workers”.
She added: “In March 2024, Livv reported reserves of £110.6million.Over the past five years, it has recorded annual surpluses from £14million to £25m – yet workers who keep Livv running have faced years of real-terms pay cuts.” Midgley has asked ministers to amend the Employment Rights Bill “to stop employers seeking to undermine collective bargaining by offering non-union members preferential treatment in pay awards”. The dispute has won the support of the UK’s biggest unions.
Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham has pledged “full backing” to striking workers “for as long as it takes”. This week Unison boss Christina McAnea visited the picket line, and TUC boss Paul Nowak visits today with Midgley. Meanwhile Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram and Knowsley council have written to Livv to ask them to get round the table.
Nowak says: “I’m proud to be joining Livv workers as they demand the respect they should be entitled to. Livv Housing’s success is down to the efforts of its staff, but they have suffered years of real terms pay cuts while Livv Housing has posted huge operating surpluses. Worse still, Livv Housing is now employing union-busting tactics to try to divide their workforce. This case shows why it’s vital we improve employment standards. Too many good employers are being undercut by the bad.”
Midgley points out it’s not just the workers who are affected. “The casework load involving Livv is mounting up, and having a bad effect on people’s lives,” she told MPs. “Nothing is getting fixed because its management will not sit down and settle the dispute.”
Workers at the housing association echoed these fears. “It’s our tenants losing out,” one told us. “I see the poverty in these houses – it’s not just the workers being sold short and neglected.” Local Unison rep James Robinson says: “Our members are some of the lowest paid. They’ve been coming to us to say they’re tenants themselves and can’t keep up with rent changes. Their income isn’t going up enough to cover bills. This comes on the back of 10 years of below inflation pay rises. We worked out there’s been a 30% reduction in real terms pay.”
Meanwhile Livv colleagues have become used to the firm blogging about its troubles. Towards the end of last year, Livv’s CEO Leann Hearne posted: “We made the decision to cancel the Christmas parties a couple of weeks ago, based on feedback from you… Christmas is my favourite time of year, so it’s disappointing…”
A spokeswoman for Livv said the 24/25 pay offer of 5% “is one of the highest across the UK housing sector… in the last five years alone, we have offered a cumulative 21.5% pay award and distributed a universal £1400 cost-of-living payment to all colleagues.”
She added: “As a not-for-profit housing association, surpluses and reserves are not excess funds; they are…reinvested to improve services and support our communities.
“We were guided by law when implementing the 5% for non-union members and at the conclusion of the dispute, any agreed offer will be backdated and implemented fairly across the board. We have plans to support any customers who need us during this time.”
Back on the picket line, Livv’s employees say they have no intention of giving up the fight. “The company had a £42m surplus last year,” one told us. “It feels like we’re last to be considered every time. The greed in the housing sector is endemic – they make multi-million pound profits, year on year. Our determination is still as strong as it was five months ago.”
