
Workers at a Leeds learning disability service have today [Monday] begun voting on strike action.
More than 200 workers at Aspire will take part in the ballot after bosses imposed a new sick pay policy, which means staff receive no pay after just one month of illness.
Workers have already cancelled essential surgery, while others fear they will be forced to work while ill – putting vulnerable service users in danger.
The ballot closes on 27 October.
Aspire, formerly part of Leeds City Council before being spun off into a Community Benefit Society in 2015, has refused to reconsider its position despite repeated efforts by the GMB Union to find a fair resolution.
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.”