Charity ‘behaving disgracefully’ says trade union

UNISON claims that Turning Point, a charity that provides drug treatment and support, is planning to sack its 2,393 members of staff and re-employ them on worse terms and conditions.
This will include seven members of staff at Turning Point’s West Berkshire branch in Station Road, Newbury.
The union, which has described Turning Point’s alleged plans as ‘vicious and unnecessary’, also claims that the charity made a £302,000 profit in 2011-12.
However, the charity claims its surplus was £41,000, after a transfer to a fund aimed at maintaining properties.
Unison’s national officer for charities, Simon Watson said: “Turning Point is behaving disgracefully. It is through the efforts of its staff that the charity has grown and makes a profit and their reward is to drive down their pay and conditions.
Spokeswoman for Turning Point, Laura Conn, confirmed that the charity was discussing potential changes to its staff’s terms and conditions of employment, but no decisions had yet been made.
Ms Conn said: “The cuts in local authority and health budgets are starting to bite and there is much more to come. Like many organisations in this difficult economic climate, Turning Point has to constantly review our costs and try to work out how we can make the efficiencies that will help protect jobs and services for the vulnerable people we support.”