Eastend Homes workers on the picket line
Workers at East End Homes in Tower Hamlets, east London, are furious about bosses’ plans to slash their pensions. The Unison union members struck for the 12th day on Wednesday. They are planning three more weeks of continuous action starting next Monday.
The workers, who are administrators, caretakers and housing officers at the housing association, are responsible for around 3,900 homes. Many of them have served their local community for decades.
A striker on the picket line told Socialist Worker the strikes had already had a big impact.
“We provide frontline essential housing services to our residents,” they said. “Management wants to keep what they’re trying to do to us quiet so that residents don’t know.
“But the number of days we’ve been out is affecting the services. So, residents are noticing and that’s putting pressure on management.”
EEH bosses are trying to shift workers off their Defined Benefit (DB) pension schemes and into an inferior Defined Contribution (DC) scheme.
This could see them lose thousands of pounds every year in retirement income.
DC pension arrangements are riskier than the guaranteed DB pension schemes. Workers’ contributions are invested in the financial markets. This means that if stock markets or bonds perform poorly, the overall value of the pension pot can fall. It could ultimately leave workers with less money in retirement than they paid in.
Another worker on the picket line told Socialist Worker that bosses were threatening fire and rehire if they didn’t accept this erosion of their retirement futures.
New legislation coming into force in January 2027 will make it much harder for employers to deploy fire and rehire tactics. But EEH bosses are making use of the short window before the change comes in.
“They set a deadline for us to sign up to the new pension scheme for last Friday. It’s a bullying tactic to intimidate us into accepting much worse terms and conditions,” she said.
“But it’s not working. We’re still out and we’re not going anywhere. We’re more resilient than they think.”
Kerie Anne, branch secretary for Tower Hamlets Unison local government branch, told Socialist Worker that there were plans to raise support among the residents.
“We are going to leaflet every single EEH home. We’ll be printing 4,000 leaflets and going door-to-door with them to make sure every resident knows exactly what the board and the executives are doing here.
“We’re calling on all EEH residents, who also don’t feel listened to by senior leadership, to stand together with the workers against this,” said Kerie Anne.
“EEH has now threatened fire and rehire in a way that’s concrete. But we’re not backing down,” she said.
“There is absolute disgust among the workers at their shabby treatment by senior executives and the board.
“This is the first strike in East End Homes’ 21-year history. That alone shows the depth of feeling among them,” said Kerie Anne.
It is essential to support these workers in their fight against pension theft. Visit a picket line and join them in demanding that bosses abandon these unjust plans and secure workers’ retirement futures.
Strikers are demanding an unallocated €1.6 billion go towards workers' pay rise
London march on 27 October
Another day of mass resistance
Plus: 500 on Leeds unity march
