WORKERS at a Torfaen housing firm Bron Afon will go on strike tomorrow in protest at the decision to reduce annual salaries by more than £3,000.

UNISON has said three, twenty-four hour stoppages are planned in response to the move which has slashed annual wages for the overwhelming majority of staff in the Supported Living Team from £23,572 to £20,416.

Workers from the supported living team at the not-for-profit organisation, provide assistance to vulnerable people over the age of 50 in their own homes, helping them access benefits and acting as their advocates with housing and financial problems.

They provide practical support too to those with mental health issues, addictions and those who have experienced domestic abuse.

UNISON claim that Bron Afon has also removed staff pay increments, placing workers on spot salaries and extended service hours.

Torfaen branch secretary for UNISON,Cheryl Morgan, said: “You have a group of workers who are dedicated to helping improve the quality of life for vulnerable people and give them more independence.

"Their vital interventions allow service users to keep their home. Bron Afon has stripped these employees of thousands of pounds.

"It has treated them with contempt, misled them and reduced many to tears.

"Bron Afon uses every opportunity to proclaim it is a progressive organisation but there is nothing ethical about its behaviour here. Staff are fighting back.

"For the last five months, UNISON has tried its best to work with the employer to identify money which could be redistributed to staff.

"Instead, Bron Afon is obstructive and withholds information. On winning the contract, Bron Afon broke promises to invest in staff and now it’s raiding the wages of its own employees".

Bron Afon’s head of inclusion and support, Cath Pullin, in response, said: “We are really disappointed that eight employees voted for strike action.

“The Supported Living Team is a service funded through Supporting People. The previous contract ended on 31 March 2017 and we worked closely with all the staff in the team to put together a tender for the new service last year which we were delighted to win.

“That work started last August and it was explained to the team then that to put together a competitive tender it was likely that staff costs would have to be reduced.

“If we hadn’t won the contract the staff on fixed-term contracts would have been out of work at the end of March. But we were pleased to be successful and advertised the new jobs in February

“It has seen more staff employed in the service. Staff have kept generous benefits including access to the pension scheme and excellent sickness and holiday entitlement.

“The staff applied for the new jobs after being involved in the contract bidding process, shaping the team structure and seeing the salary and other benefits on offer.

“So we are surprised that after being offered jobs on these terms they have now decided to take strike action.

“It is also disappointing that Unison have decided to take this action, not even waiting for the outcome of an internal process around the exact same issue.”