'Take a pay cut or be made homeless' (From Gazette Series)

'Take a pay cut or be made homeless'

A HARDWORKING husband and wife from Wotton-under-Edge could be evicted by Stroud District Council for refusing to sign a new contract which would leave them drastically out of pocket.

Tony Pegler, 52, lives with his wife at sheltered housing complex Dryleaze Court where Mrs Pegler, who does not wish to be fully named, works as scheme manager.

Mr Pegler, a part-time security guard at Berkeley's nuclear power station, claimed this week that because his wife is refusing to take a £3,000 pay cut and succumb to what he describes as "bully tactics", the couple is going to be made homeless.

He said: "My wife has been advised by her union UNISON not to sign the new contract from Stroud District Council which would mean a pay cut and a change in hours."

Mr Pegler said his wife, who is recovering from a recent operation, received a letter last Saturday morning from the district council giving her until 4.30pm today to sign a new contract or face dismissal.

He said: "We rang the council about being re-housed because our accommodation is tied to my wife's employment and they said they couldn't help us.

"Apparently the council is not obligated to re-house us because we are making ourselves homeless."

Stroud District Council is currently in the process of a restructuring exercise and as a consequence, is drawing up a number of new contracts for various employees including sheltered housing scheme managers.

The authority's actions have been met with outrage from workers. Several hundred UNISON members have already picketed the council's head offices at Ebley Mill in two strikes in recent weeks.

Arbitration service ACAS has been called in to settle the dispute but the council has been heavily criticised for not listening and chief executive David Hagg has been accused of refusing to meet with UNISON representatives.

Mr Pegler told the Gazette people should be aware that there is more to the row then just disgruntled workers.

He said: "There is more to this than just picket lines. Behind every worker there is a family and this family is going to be made homeless all because my wife is standing up for herself."

Mr Pegler was quick to defend allegations that his wife could be perceived as nothing more than a troublemaker.

He said: "My wife loves the job she does for the residents Wotton so much. Given the choice she would probably be here for another 20 years but the way the council is at the moment she feels she can't."

He added: "Someone needs to make a stand."

SDC spokesman David Marshall said the council could not comment on the future of any member of staff refusing to sign the new contracts.

He said: "A restructuring exercise has been undertaken with the aim of making Stroud District Council more efficient.

"As part of this exercise, all employees, including sheltered scheme managers, have been issued with new contracts of employment. The great majority of these have now been signed. Those who have not yet signed have a deadline to do so. Until this has passed, we cannot comment on how the matter will be taken forward."