Housing maintenance workers are holding a protest outside the offices of Northwards Housing in Manchester.

The workers, who are employed by Mears and joint venture company Manchester Working, are staging their fourth day of strike action in a dispute over pay differentials between different workers.

The employees carry out repairs and maintenance work for Northwards Housing, which manages 13,000 homes in north Manchester.

However, some workers are being paid up to £3,500 more for doing the same work as their colleagues. In addition, employees are concerned over attempts by Mears to introduce a new contract which seeks to increase hours, introduce flexible working, requires a greater use of technology, but does not increase pay.

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The company is also seeking to introduce a new 'productivity procedure', labelled as a 'sackers' charter' by union Unite, in addition to pressurising the workforce into accepting poorer conditions regarding sick pay and vehicle policies.

Unite regional officer Gary Fairclough said Northwards "cannot stand idly by as exploitation and injustice occurs on their contracts".

"Northwards Housing is responsible for letting the contracts and has a moral duty to intervene and ensure that Mears and Manchester Working close the pay differentials," he said.

"The demonstration will ensure that bosses at Northwards can no longer pretend they do not know what is happening on their contract and ignore the anger and frustration of the workforce.

"Our members do not take strike action lightly and the scale of this dispute demonstrates the anger of our members."

(LM/MH)