Hundreds of repair workers across the West Midlands will begin strike action over pay this month, leaving 30,000 homes across the region without any critical maintenance.  

Unite, the UK’s leading union for workers, have announced Citizen Housing’s gas engineers, electricians, construction workers and admin staff have planned 10 days of industrial action due to a pay dispute.

200 workers will strike on October 28 and November 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25 and 29 in protest of Citizen Housing’s proposed pay offer.

The company offered their tradespeople a four per cent pay increase, which Unite has said will still leave them being paid “thousands of pounds below industry standards”.

The union also claims that even with the proposed increase, some staff will still only be earning national minimum wage.

Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “Citizen Housing’s workforce are rightly angry that their pay is being kept artificially low despite the association’s huge surplus and sky-high executive wage packets.

“Unite never accepts attacks on our members’ jobs, pay and conditions and Citizen Housing workers have their union’s total support during these strikes.”

Unite regional officer, Sharon Harding, added: “The responsibility for the disruption caused to residents lies entirely at the door of Citizen Housing.

“It can easily afford to offer these workers a fair pay rise but is choosing not to.

“The dismissive and arrogant way Citizen Housing’s senior leadership is treating our membership is only making this dispute worse.

“There is still time to avoid strike action, but that will require an acceptable offer being put forward.”

In response to Unite's statement announcing the industrial action, a spokesperson from Citizen Housing said: “We are aware of the planned industrial action by Unite members in relation to the 2024 pay award.

"Citizen has offered a four per cent pay increase across the organisation, which is in line with pay increases seen across the wider housing sector.

“We are putting plans in place to maintain services for our customers during this period, and we want to reassure our tenants and leaseholders that we are committed to doing everything possible to minimise disruption during the strike days.

“As a responsible social housing provider, we have a regulatory responsibility to invest any operational surplus into our homes and services.

"We are also moving forward with an extensive house-building programme to address the need for more affordable housing.

“We understand the pressures facing our colleagues and will continue to provide support where we can.”

Unite said that industrial action will intensify if the pay dispute is not resolved.