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Mental health workers begin strike action
Employees of a South West mental health charity have begun strike action over calls for fairer pay and better union recognition.
More than 100 workers at Second Step, who are members of the trade union Unison, took part in their first day of strike action on Tuesday.
The strikes are also planned to take place on Wednesday, as well as January 21 and 22.
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Jack Dalrymple, who works in the Higher Needs Floating Support department, told Bristol24/7: “We are in dispute with management and we have been for many many months now.
“One part of the dispute is pay,” he said, “and the second part is union recognition for collective bargaining rights.”
Tim Roberts, the South West regional secretary for Unison, said: “Workers want to focus on supporting people experiencing mental health difficulties, not worrying about how they will pay their bills.
“Staff are suffering financial hardship because their pay has failed to keep pace with rising costs. Second Step still has time to resolve this dispute by coming forward with a fair offer and recognising the union.”
Representatives from the charity have said that they “have made a clear offer to look collaboratively at union recognition” following the widespread strike action.
They continued: “While we respect the right of union members to take lawful industrial action and remain committed to constructive conversations with Unison, our main priority remains maintaining safe, continuous support for the people who rely on our services every day.”
Main photo: Karen Johnson
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