Staff at Leeds learning disability service voting on strike action over sick pay
200 workers at Aspire are upset over a new policy which would prevent them drawing a wage if they're off ill for more than a month.
Staff at a service which helps people in Leeds with learning disabilities are voting on potential strike action, in a dispute over sick pay.
200 workers at Aspire are upset over a new policy which would prevent them drawing a wage if they're off ill for more than a month.
The GMB claims its led to some members delaying essential surgery.
Aspire was formerly run by Leeds City Council but was spun off as a separate organisation in 2015.
It offers support services to around 900 adults living with learning disabilities, as well as their families and carers.
GMB Organiser, Andrew Aldwinkle, said: “These workers do an incredible job, looking after some of the most vulnerable people in West Yorkshire.
“Now they’ve had their own sickness safety net whipped out from under them.
“It’s a cold, savage move that will ultimately be self-defeating for Aspire.
"The company - and Leeds City Council – need to have a long, hard think about whether this is the right move for the workers, the service or the people who rely on it.”
In response, Aspire says the change is down to a lack of funding and the recent increase in Employers' National Insurance Contributions adding further budget pressures.
It claims the GMB has failed to suggest and alternative and the move is an alternative to seeking to cut staff.
Zoe Bawn, Chief Executive of Aspire, said: "Aspire, like many organisations, are impacted by the ongoing chronic underfunding in social care nationally."
"We are doing all we can as a responsible employer, in challenging circumstances to ride this storm.
"As a result, we will need to take difficult but responsible decisions to ensure we continue to offer vital services to people with learning disabilities in Leeds."