News flash – EEH Update 19.05.26
East End Homes
Stop the Pension Theft!
Strike Ballot Called
The notice to the employer of an official industrial action ballot under the Trade Union & Labour Relations ( Consolidation) Act has now been served on the CEO of EEH, Daniel Killian. This follows the thumping indicative ballot result where 100% of UNISON members voted YES to move to a legal strike ballot on a 100% turnout. EEH bosses have not withdrawn the disgraceful plan to shut access to long serving employees access to the pension schemes they have been paying into for years and instead offer them an inferior pension provision in its place. UNISON has called on EEH senior management to meet it at ACAS for talks following their rebuffing of UNISON’s requests to meet during the consultation period.
Branch Secretary, Kerie Anne: ‘Our members feel so strongly about EEH’s plan that they have asked to be balloted for industrial action and this is now underway. They are also rightly outraged at the veiled reference to the practice commonly known as ‘fire and rehire’ in EEH’s pension consultation documents if they do not willingly consent to the detrimental change to their contract of employment. We will provide full support to our members in the fight to defend their pension benefits, which includes making available Tower Hamlets UNISON’s significant local hardship fund should strike action be called. The fight is just getting started.
The background
UNISON has now registered a Trade Dispute at Eastend Homes (EEH) following the shock formal proposal to move long serving staff off their Defined Benefit (DB) Pension schemes and into an inferior Defined Contribution (DC) scheme. This represents a significant negative change for staff in terms of their retirement benefits. DC pension arrangements also shift risk ( investment, longevity, inflation) from the employer to individual employees.
But UNISON members are not taking this assault on their retirement plans lying down. An indicative ballot just conducted resulted in 100% of members voting ‘YES’ to move to an industrial action ballot on a 100% turnout if the damaging proposal is not withdrawn. The branch is now making plans to ballot its impacted members.
EEH senior management have refused to meet with UNISON reps to discuss the collective concerns. It is even claiming that is does not recognise UNISON, despite recognition being part of the staff TUPE transfer from the council when EEH was set up 21 years ago – and until recently, it recognised the union.
To add fuel to the fire, the consultation papers make veiled reference to the practice commonly known as ‘Fire and Rehire’ as an option if staff do not consent to the proposed change. New legislation coming into force in October 2026 will make it much harder for an employer to deploy this aggressive tool to impose inferior contracts of employment on staff – and understandably there is reasonable suspicion that EEH may be making use of the window before the change comes into effect to impose a contract with diminished pension terms.
Branch Secretary, Kerie Anne: ‘This proposal represents an unacceptable attack on our members’ Pension benefits. Many of whom have served the local community providing essential housing services for decades and are in the autumn of their working lives. They have planned and budgeted for their retirement – which now risks being derailed. The barely veiled reference in the consultation documents to ‘sack and re-engage’ as an option to impose the contractual change if staff do not willingly consent is both disturbing and seriously damaging to staff morale.
Senior management have rejected UNISON’s outreach to meet to discuss the proposal. But the recent thumping indicative ballot result demonstrates that UNISON members are not going to take this poor treatment laying down, and if the employer does not withdraw the proposal then we will have no hesitation in taking the necessary steps to move forward with an industrial action ballot. We remain open to negotiations with EEH management, and we urge them to take up our good faith offer to meet and engage in productive dialogue.’