ATUC joins tenant’s union, charities and community groups call for Aberdeen City Council to fill 1,816 empty council homes.

Aberdeen Trades Union Council joined Living Rent Aberdeen as they delivered their open letter, signed by key organisations across Aberdeen, calling on Aberdeen City Council to urgently bring the 1,816 empty council homes back into public use.

The open letter highlights that this year, Aberdeen’s homeless services have been declared as at ‘a heightened risk of systemic failure’ by the Scottish Housing Regulator and the council is ‘routinely breaking the law’ in failing to meet housing needs.

Living Rent Aberdeen say that families with children sit trapped in unsuitable temporary accommodation while the council’s inability to fill lettable empty homes has cost £12.5m in the last 6 years. 

ATUC Stands in Suport of Striking Housing Officers

The ATUC stands in suport of the Housing Officers and Housing Support Officers who have been forced to take strike action in order to protect services to tenants.  The four day strike is this week until Friday, with the the picket line outside of Marischal College from about 9am til lpm.

Aberdeen Trades Union Council wrote to Angela Scott, Chief Executive of Aberdeen City Council to express our concerns and support for the workers in dispute.

Angela Scott
Chief Executive
Aberdeen City Council

Dear Angela,

Ref: Unite Members on strike

Aberdeen Trades Union Council (ATUC) has received a report and update on the current dispute between Unite and Aberdeen City Council at our last monthly meeting.

ATUC fully supports the stand taken by the striking housing officers and housing support officers in order to protect the service to the tenants.

This is a very commendable and honourable stance for Unite members to take and its disappointing that the Council does not appear to want to resolve the dispute.

It appears to the ATUC that this is yet another cost savings only exercise by the City Council which does not appear to take on the concerns of the front line staff especially of the severe impact the Council's proposals would have on the council's tenants.

ATUC have always opposed Council cuts as the impact is always felt by the citizens who reply on the Council's services and in the case of this dispute the staff who would have to deal with the stress of detrimental changes to their roles in providing the much needed services to the tenants.

Can you advise if an equality impact assessment and associated H&S stress impact assessment has been carried out on the potential impact the proposed changes may have on both the staff and the council's tenants and if so have these assessments been shared with and discussed with the staff and the council's tenants as well.

We do hope that the dispute can be resolved soon.

We look forward to your reply

Yours sincerely
Graeme Farquhar
President, ATUC

Living Rent is coming to Aberdeen! Get along to the first meeting on 8th November.

All Aberdeen Trade Union Council delegates, associates and friends are invited to attend the Living Rent, Aberdeen first meeting on 8th November 2018 from 7 - 8.30pm in the Unite Office, 42-44 King Street, Aberdeen AB24 5TJ.

This will be an opportunity to hear about the campaign and talk about how together we can fight for tenants' rights in Aberdeen. Come along and find out how you can get involved.

The meeting will last approximately 90 minutes, and the venue is wheelchair accessible.

If you have any questions about the event, the campaign or the venue, please don't hesitate to drop the organisers a message via their Facebook page.

ATUC delegates speak out against austerity and UKIP and call for affordable homes.

Report of the ATUC in action at the 2015 STUC Congress in Ayr

Our delegates to the Congress this year, Steve Gray and Fiona Napier were very active on behalf of the ATUC. They seconded two composites, one on living rent and affordable housing and one on austerity and local authority cuts. They also supported a composite on standing up to UKIP. All these composites included the ATUC's motions to Congress.

Homes for people, not profit

Steve Gray

The STUC is to call for a major house building programme,    focussing especially on affordable and council housing, not only to meet need but also to boost employment and the economy. It also called for work with Shelter, other charities, community groups, and the People’s Assembly, to build a broad based campaign to support a living rent.

This comes as a result of the Aberdeen TUC’s motion which was merged with motions from USDAW, UCATT and North Lanarkshire TUC.

Seconding the composite, ATUC delegate Steve Gray told delegates that homes should be for people not profits.