HUNDREDS of workers at a housing association are set to go on strike next week as a dispute of pay and conditions intensifies.

The Unite and Unison unions announced that staff at Prescot-based Livv Housing had voted to take industrial action after being balloted in August on a proposed pay offer.

According to union officials, the dispute is a result of workers experiencing years of ‘below inflation pay rises’.

Workers have rejected the five per cent pay increase proposed by Livv Housing’s leadership team and have announced their intention to go on strike.

The first walk out is planned for next Wednesday, October 16 with a second day of strike action scheduled for Wednesday, October 23.

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Livv housing is one of the leading providers of social housing in Knowsley and manages and maintains more than 13,000 properties across Liverpool City Region and the North West – primarily in the Knowsley area. Such a significant staff walk out will inevitably impact the normal running of services, but Livv Housing maintain they have plans in place to address any potential ‘operational gaps’.

Unite workers are also taking part in the industrial action

Unite workers are also taking part in the industrial action

Unite regional officer John Sheppard said: “Strike action will inevitably cause severe disruption to Livv’s tenants but this dispute is entirely of the organisation’s own making. Livv has had every opportunity to resolve this dispute but has chosen not to.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham added: “Livv Housing should be ashamed of itself. This is an organisation that is fully able to provide its workers with a decent pay offer but has chosen not to.

After unions announced workers had balloted to go on strike last month, a spokesperson for Livv Housing said: “We are aware that circa 20 per cent of our colleagues have voted in favour of industrial action in relation to a pay negotiation in which we are offering five per cent pay increase across our business.

“We benchmark all salaries regularly and our offer is in line with sector and regional norm. As a Social Housing provider and in line with our regulatory requirements our operational surplus is invested into improving and maintain our homes and supporting our customers.

“We have plans in place to address any operational gaps and our service delivery will not be impacted. We respect the rights of our colleagues to strike and will support our colleagues across the business throughout this process.”