Workers employed by construction firm Mears are continuing to take strike action against the company in Manchester.

A total of 170 staff who work for the contractor and joint venture company, Manchester Working, have been engaged since May in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.

The organisations have failed to deal with the longstanding problems regarding pay differentials, new contracts and attempts by Mears to introduce a 'productivity procedure'.

As the dispute enters it's 31st day of action, the striking workers have met with tenants' organisations to explain why they are taking industrial action.

A leafletting campaign has been launched to inform the 12,000 affected tenants in north Manchester, whose properties are managed by Northwards housing association, about what the dispute is about and to apologise for the backlog in repairs and improvement work.

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With Mears using sub-contractors to help tackle the delay to property repairs, union Unite said it understands the sub-contractors are taking a "quantity rather than quality" approach to repairs.

Unite regional co-ordinating officer Andy Fisher, said: "Unite has consistently warned that tenants would be the innocent victims of Mears failure to resolve these long-running problems.

"Tenants are now suffering from a huge backlog of repairs. Unite is in the process of explaining to tenants what the dispute is really about and making it clear that Mears' attempts to cut corners could have long-term consequences.

"Our members have only taken strike action as a last resort, after the company for years failed to resolve fundamental problems of pay inequality."

Unite is also embarking on a lobbying exercise to put pressure on the organisations' shareholders, recently staging two demonstrations at shareholder meetings in London.

Mr Fisher added: "As the dispute intensifies Mears needs to understand that our members will leave no stone unturned in our campaign to win justice for our members. The company has it in their hands to resolve the dispute by returning to the negotiating table with a sensible offer.

"Mears has repeatedly been disingenuous in claiming they offered the workers a 10 per cent increase to workers, their offer was nothing of sort. Their pay rise had more strings that an orchestra and workers were not going to accept an increase in hours, flexible working and the introduction of procedures which allow managers to sack workers on a whim."

(LM/MH)