Housing association vice chair resigns over chief executive's "heavy handed" approach to staff
A senior official has resigned in protest over imposed changes at under fire Wishaw & District Housing Association.
Eddie Mullen, its former vice-chair, walked after criticising the way its chief executive has handled a long-running dispute with workers.
The housing association wants to slash four days’ holiday a year from the staff and to increase their working week by 30 minutes – the equivalent of four additional working days a year.
It also wants to remove a medical insurance scheme from staff.
Accusing chief executive Niall Gordon of being "heavy handed" and giving the board "inaccurate" information in relation to a dispute over working conditions, Mullen said his position became untenable.
He also says Gordon failed to inform staff about an offer that the board wanted to make to try to solve part of the dispute.
He said: “I didn’t like the attitude of the chief executive. I found him to be heavy handed, and things got to the stage that some of the information the board was given in relation to the dispute was inaccurate.”
Gordon has repeatedly claimed his staff get four extra days of holidays in comparison with other associations who are members of the employers’ organisation Employers in Voluntary Housing (EVH).
“We were told that as far as those holidays were concerned, we were the only association who gave staff those extra four days,” Mullen said. “But I have discovered that there are other housing associations that don’t follow rigidly the EVH agreement and give their staff additional holidays above the norm.
“As far as I’m concerned the savings made by taking the holiday days off the staff would be nominal and once the holiday issue was resolved, we’d soon be able to settle the other parts of the dispute.”
Mullen said the board were also given inaccurate information about Wishaw’s staff costs in comparison with other associations.
Trade union Unite said that over the last three years its members at Wishaw & District Housing Association have accepted their pensions being massively reduced, their wages being cut, their bereavement leave being reduced almost by half, and lunchtime opening to provide a better service to tenants.
Unite regional officer Gordon Casey said: “We believe Mr Mullen has taken a courageous stand by resigning and highlighting these issues at Wishaw & District Housing Association.
“It is extremely worrying to hear that a meeting between the board and the staff was not granted, against the wishes and advice of the board’s own vice-chair. And it is incredible that an offer from the board to the staff was not passed on by the chief executive.
“Our members have said all along that they don’t believe these cuts will save money – and if they are not about saving money, then we have to question the motives of those trying to push them through.
“All our members want is fair working conditions, dignity at work and some basic respect for their hard work and the sacrifices they have already made.
“This dispute is not going to go away, and I repeat my offer to sit down with the association to discuss how we can move forward.”
Wishaw and District Housing Association declined to respond directly to Mullen’s resignation. Instead it issued a generic statement regarding the ongoing dispute.
Chair Brenda Higgins said: “The association needs to reduce the costs to the organisation to ensure that the long term viability is secured for both tenants and staff.
“The board of Wishaw and District Housing Association remains committed to working with staff and Unite to resolve this dispute.”
