Monday, November 14, 2011

Family Mosaic Housing Association "to sack 1000 workers"

Branch press release "UNISON condemns housing association who intend to sack their workforce of 1,000 in London and Essex.

London and Essex based housing association, Family Mosaic, has notified UNISON that it intends to dismiss approximately 1,000 staff in their social care and support division unless they accept massive cuts in pay ranging from hundreds of pounds to nearly £11,000 per annum. In addition, Family Mosaic want to increase the working hours of all front line staff - general housing and care and support – from 35 to 37.5 hours. Family Mosaic will be writing to the affected staff to ask them to sign new contracts. If they refuse to sign the contracts, Family Mosaic will sack them.

Essex UNION Regional Organiser, Nick Bradley said: “This is appalling and awful news for these staff. Family Mosaic management are acting like bullies of the worst kind. They have refused all requests not to go ahead with these cuts to pay which will be devastating to the staff and their families. We know that some staff will not be able to survive on such cuts in their pay. It is notable that only the support staff and their local managers face these pay cuts while the senior management team continue to receive their comfortable salaries and benefits without cuts. UNISON will be fighting hard to resist this and both strike action and legal action are being considered.”

London UNISON Regional Organiser, Colin Inniss, said: “With a £34 million surplus for 2010/11 and £33 million for 2009/10, Family Mosaic’s funds are amongst the very best in the sector. In fact finances at Family Mosaic are so good that they have been able to purchase Hyde Housing’s entire care and support subsidiary, In Touch. Yet at a time of high inflation, they want support staff to take salary cuts of up to 35% and all front line staff to work a further 2.5 hours or else face dismissal. That’s bad news for those members and their families; it will inevitably affect staff morale at Family Mosaic and lead to a diminishing quality of service delivery. After the appalling debacle at Southern Cross, this type of bad publicity is the very last thing that the care and support sector needs right now“. 

Notes for Editors
1. UNISON’s represents over 60,000 members in the Community and Voluntary sector.
2. Family Mosaic own and manage 23,000 properties across, 27 London Boroughs and in Essex. It has a significant Supported Housing business providing nursing, care and support services to around 4,000 people.
3. Family Mosaic’s operating surplus rose from 19% in 2009/10 to 26% in 2010/11. The Group’s net surplus increase to £34 million in 2010/11, a rise of 4% on the previous year.
4. In July 2011, Family Mosaic finalised the purchase of Hyde Housing’s £14 million-turnover subsidiary, In Touch, which provides services to 4,200 people and includes 120 contracts.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

London and Essex based housing association, Family Mosaic, has notified UNISON that it intends to dismiss approximately 1,000 staff in their social care

What do these people do?

Andrew Berry said...

John : As a tenant of Family Mosaic I am outraged, tell me who to write to and protest about this. It make me even more annoyed given my rent went up 7.2% last year and will probably go up by more then that next year given RPI rate in September. Solidarity with Family Mosaic union members.

John Gray said...

Hi Anon

I understand mostly care assistants, sheltered scheme wardens, project workers etc. There is also a threat to increase the working hours of the other housing management staff that they employ.

Thanks Andrew for your support. The CEO of Family Mosaic is Brendan Sarsfield. I'll try and get a email address but you can contact the organisation here http://www.familymosaic.co.uk/forms/customer-care-enquiry-form.aspx.

Perhaps you can also ask him about his £172,000 salary 2010/11 and whether your rent rise funded his £7,000 pay increase last year!

John Gray said...

ps Andrew - Does FM have a TRA? Can you do something that way?

Anonymous said...

Dear John's Labour blog,

My rent went up around 8.5% this year. I want to protest about this unacceptable increase (Government rules require associations to set their rents in line with the retail price index of inflation, which is expected to fall to between -2.5 and -3 per cent this September.) How can we get together and stop this abuse of poor people ? Especially when there is so much corruption in the associationa dn the maintainance support is so abysmal ?

John Gray said...

Hi anon

It's a shame that Andrew didn't respond to my point about a tenant/resident association. This is the best way of getting the voices of tenants heard.

Next would be to contact your local Councillors/MP's. Go and see your MP and Cllrs. The Council should have some sort of scrutiny panel/committee of Housing associations in their area. See if you and your neighbours could give evidence about unacceptable rent increases, high executive pay and poor R&M performance.

Anonymous said...

they cannot go fast enough for us- bloody terrorists who assume everyone is under-educated- they sniff around private-lives with superior-manic-grins and feel entitled to know everyones' business and treat tenants like cattle they can dispense with - no respect for HUMANITY - it is scary and evil there- sack them all asap - residents are suffering PTSD from these people

John Gray said...

this is pretty sick anon gloating about people being sacked. You must be a sad and pathetic charactor. It must be awful living next door to you.

Anonymous said...

I'm a family mosaic tenant and have noticed in the last few months that services are being cut, but yet the service charges are going up this is despite their annual turnover last year and seen a 9% increase (According to their figures). Maintenance on properties is absolutely shocking & the rent increases are not justifiable. Family Mosaic have gone from being a great housing association to being a bunch of bloody Nazis, that only care about money, money, money.

John Gray said...

Hi anon

This sounds like they are treating you pretty badly but I don't think you help your cause by comparing them to Nazis?

Family Mosaic may be treating their workforce and residents like rubbish but that does NOT make them Nazis

Unknown said...

Family Mosaic have been terrorising me and other disabled friends for many years - are they scientologists? They hate disabled people and pick on me and lone disabled - all the time - they are really nasty - I got hit by one once- pushed off a walking frame - it is hell - been absolutely terrorised and can't seem to get any help

Anonymous said...

Family Mosaic Does not deserve Family in their tittle at all.The rent goes up and I have an on going leak off 3 years a so called New build property and an unearthed property througout at that until recently. Over those 3 years my disabled brother has had to move as they never fixed leak in his room it still leaking now. Im disabled my self and was attacked and am at present still being herrassed yet they promised if I went to court they would move me. I have PTSD and the noise from garden above brings me bk to attack so much for tenants well being a. As for service charge you should see the state off this place 3 years old maybe naming and shaming them might make them respond and be hend responsible.

John Gray said...

I hope you contact your MP and Cllrs about your experience.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately Family Mosaic is not the good employer that they claim to be. There are managers who allow and take part in serious bullying of staff. Which means the staff turnover is unbelievable! At least one good member goes every month, due to intimidation and a serious neglect of staff safety and their welfare.
When talking about working hours, front line staff is expected to work extra days without pay, where staff are expected/forced to work late during the week and on Saturdays and Sundays for no extra money and no praise for good work.
This organisation needs to be closely monitored and spot checked, they are funded by ESCC and doing the worst job possible. They twist records and manipulate statistics, to supply commissioners with false records, who then agree extra funding. The services they provide are shameful, unprofessional and a serious waste of public money.

John Gray said...

Considering the amount of public money that Housing associations get I agree that they should have much better governance and regulation.