Mears employees vote for more strikes

Mears has 180-plus employees working on a contract for Manchester City Council to look after 12,000 properties managed by Northwards Housing Association.

In a long-running dispute over pay differentials – up to £3,500 for workers doing the same role – the workforce has already taken more than 40 days of strike action this year. Through their union, Unite, they have now voted for more action, which is likely to take place when wintery weather increases the requirement for urgent repairs.

Unite regional officer Gary Fairclough said: “The overwhelmingly vote in favour of strike action demonstrates the determination of Unite members to force Mears to address the injustices in the workplace. The result shows that Mears’ is entirely deluded in thinking that the dispute would disappear.”

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