Karen Greer, Liverpool North Socialist Party
Unison and Unite members employed by Livv Housing in Knowsley, Merseyside, are celebrating after voting overwhelmingly to accept a fresh offer negotiated between the unions and Livv Housing management. The strike was in response to a wholly inadequate pay offer of 5%, and the workers have been taking discontinuous strike action since October 2024.
Livv management tried to sit out the dispute, assuming that the strike would eventually crumble. However, the determination of the strikers to see the strike through to a successful conclusion eventually forced the management to back down.
The main elements of the settlement are a pay rise of between 8 and 8.5% over two years; the introduction of a transparent pay progression framework; discretionary Christmas holidays becoming contractual; an immediate reduction of working hours for maintenance workers from 40 hours to 39 hours a week, with the aim of reducing this to 38 hours within 12 months and a further reduction after that (administrative and technical workers are already on a 37.5 hour week); and the start of joint work between management and the unions to improve the current pension scheme, employers have already agreed to increase their contributions from 8% to 10%.
Moreover, it is not considered to be entirely coincidental that Livv’s chief executive officer is currently serving out her notice!
This settlement is yet another example demonstrating that determined strike action can bring real benefits to working-class people. Congratulations to the Livv Housing strikers!
