Strike action at Citizens Advice Hull & East Riding has been resolved after workers accepted a pay offer of nearly £3,000 per staff member.
More than 60 staff participated in four days of strike action between 31 July and 11 August, after the charity refused to increase pay in line with the National Joint Council’s recommendations.
The NJC had advised that the charity offer staff a consolidated payment of £1,925 for staff of all grades, an increase which the Citizens Advice branch initially said was unaffordable.
The charity has slightly more than 100 employees and a similar number of volunteers, according to the latest information on the Charity Commission’s register.
This week, staff voted to return to work after accepting an improved pay offer, following negotiations with Unite the Union.
The deal includes a £1,500 consolidated payment across all grades for 2022/23, plus an additional £425 non-consolidated payment.
Workers across all grades will also receive a £1,000 consolidated payment for 2023/24.
A spokesperson for Citizens Advice Hull & East Riding said: “We are delighted that we have been able to reach an outcome everyone is happy with.”
The charity noted that it had seen an “unprecedented increase in demand” for services, with the number of people asking for help at the highest it has ever recorded.
The spokesperson said: “We are incredibly proud of the work our staff and volunteers do every day. We thank them for their dedication during this difficult period and for their service.
“We are also thankful to our funders and stakeholders for their help, patience and support during this period.”
Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite, said: “Well done to our Hull and East Riding Citizens Advice members, who took strike action for the first time in the organisation’s history and won.”
Mike Wilkinson, regional officer at Unite, said: “This result could not have been achieved without the hard work and determination of our reps and members at Citizens Advice Hull & East Riding.”