Fact Service November 2011

Issue 46

Family Mosaic 'bullies'

Family Mosaic, the London and Essex-based housing association has become the latest organisation to threaten to sack workers unless they accept cuts to pay and conditions..

Mosaic management announced its intention to dismiss approximately 1,000 staff in their social care and support division unless they accept pay cuts of up to 35% ranging from hundreds of pounds to nearly £11,000 a year.

In addition, the association wants to increase the working hours of all front line staff — general housing and care and support — from 35 to 37.5 hours. Family Mosaic will be writing to the affected staff to ask them to sign new contracts. If they refuse to sign the contracts, Family Mosaic will sack them.

The move comes despite the fact that the association’s net surplus increased to £34 million in 2010-11, a rise of 4% on the previous year.

Nick Bradley, Essex regional organiser for the public service union UNISON, said that management were “acting like bullies of the worst kind.”

www.unison.org.uk/news/news_view.asp?did=7369