Staff at housing and homeless charity Shelter say they have been forced to strike due to being ‘in crisis themselves’.

Workers began their picket outside Blackburn Hub based in Blackburn Central Library earlier this week with strikes set to go on until Friday, December 16.

More than 600 workers from Shelter are involved in the fortnight of strike action, with 25 of those based at the Blackburn hub.

Unite the union said Shelter’s management has imposed a three per cent pay increase in 2022, which staff say has left many of them being unable to pay their rent.

The imposed pay deal is said to be a real terms pay cut of 11 per cent with the true inflation rate (RPI) now standing at 14.2 per cent.

Shelter said it is doing ‘everything it can to navigate the challenging economic times’ and its ambition remains to ‘support colleagues through this difficult period’.

Staff in Blackburn, who did not wish to be named, said they loved their work but they were finding it difficult to make ends meet.

One staff member who works locally said: “We feel that Shelter, its workers and colleagues are absolutely there for all of our service users.

“We feel passionately about the work we do. But we are colleagues in crisis trying to support people in crisis themselves because we haven’t been given fair pay and management have walked away from the negotiation table.

“So we have had to take this unprecedented action. We are a charity. It is unheard of.

“We work for Shelter because we care about the work we do but we also care about our colleagues.”

The teams in Blackburn also told of the support they had received from across the country and other staff.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It is unforgivable that workers at Shelter find themselves unable to pay their rent due to low pay.

"Shelter has sufficient reserves to pay its hardworking and dedicated staff a decent pay rise, but it has chosen not to.

“Our members at Shelter will receive Unite’s complete and unbending support.”

Peace talks collapsed at the conciliation service Acas last Thursday (December 1). Unite believes Shelter is fully able to make a fair pay offer.

Its reserves last year stood at around £14.5 million, substantially higher than its target reserves of £8.9 million.

Another staff member added: “I don't feel right now my employer cares about me.

"I'm a single parent. I'm now in overdraft every month, I go around switching my lights off, I have turned my boiler down, I get stressed when the kids school wants me to pay for another school trip.

“The best acknowledgement my employer can give me for all my hard work is decent pay.”

Shelter said it was implementing the Real Living Wage Foundation’s increase of 10.1 per cent this month.

Tim Gutteridge, director of finance and strategy enablement, said: “Regrettably the cost-of-living crisis is impacting both our colleagues and operational costs, and we are doing everything we can to navigate these challenging economic times.

"Industrial action is not the outcome we wanted after months of talks with the union, but we fully respect people’s right to strike.

“Some of our services and shops will be temporarily impacted during the strike, but we are making every effort to continue to serve those in need of our help.

"Anyone who needs urgent housing advice should visit the Shelter website to access our digital advice, and services information.

“Our ambition remains trying to support colleagues through this difficult period, while being able to deliver our frontline services and campaign work.

"This year we gave all staff a pay rise – which for non-management staff means an increase of between eight and 12.3 per cent - consisting of a three per cent consolidated increase and a one-off payment of £1,500.

“As a Real Living Wage employer, Shelter is also implementing the Real Living Wage Foundation’s increase of 10.1 per cent from December 2022, much earlier than required, benefiting the colleagues who receive this at the earliest opportunity.”

Shelter's offices affected by the strike action include its head office in Old Street and Hackney, London, and offices in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh, Blackburn, Norwich, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Plymouth, Newcastle, and Sheffield.