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03.02.2025 / Press releases / Solace
Workers at Solace Women’s Aid, a charity supporting domestic abuse victim-survivors, have announced indefinite strike action in response to devastating job cuts that threaten life-saving services.They will walk out from 14 February onwards.
The Tower Hamlets-based workers, who are members of United Voices of the World (UVW) union, delivered a vote of 100% in favour of industrial action last week after management refused to scrap plans to cut their team by a third.
This historic decision was taken by Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) as Tower Hamlets Council has yet to act on their urgent calls to intervene and safeguard these critical services.
The workers call on Solace management and Tower Hamlets council to urgently meet with them for talks to resolve this.
Tower Hamlets has the second-highest rate of domestic abuse cases in London, while 70% of all domestic abuse victim-survivors are women. Slashing the Solace Women’s Aid team by a third will have a catastrophic impact on vulnerable people, predominantly women and children, and the quality of vital support services in the borough.
The workers are calling for the community and supporters to gather outside the Tower Hamlets’ Town Hall at 5:30pm on Thursday 6 February for a rally to save their jobs and the service.
The charity is contracted to provide support to survivors of domestic abuse with the council. The value of the contract has almost doubled to £1.4m from 2024 to 2026, up from the £783,452 it received between 2021 and 2024. Solace claims the council withdrew expected funding.
One of the Solace workers and UVW members, who wishes to speak anonymously, said:
“We have worked tirelessly to support the community of Tower Hamlets. Domestic abuse is a national emergency, as the recent report by the National Audit Office – as reported by The Guardian- says: “The epidemic of violence against women and girls” in the UK is getting worse despite years of government promises and strategies.”
Cutting one third of our team will result in further harm to victims of domestic abuse in Tower Hamlets. Our main priority with this strike is to highlight the importance of our service and the impact on the community if the team is reduced.”
Karina Cuji, Solace, Multi-agency support team IDVA and UVW member, said:
“We want victims of domestic violence in Tower Hamlets to receive a high-quality service, but these cuts will not only prevent us from doing so but also leave many victims without any support.”
Isabel Cortés, UVW assistant general secretary, said:
“Our members refuse to stand by while jobs are axed and survivors are left without the support they need. They have called indefinite strike action which shows their determination to stand up and win for all victims/survivors in Tower Hamlets. A third of the team gone means a third fewer women getting the life-saving support they need. Should the strike action go ahead, it will have a significant impact on support for survivors. UVW members are striking with a heavy heart, but they are doing so to preserve services in the long run. We demand that Tower Hamlets Council and Solace management act now to protect these life-saving services.”
ENDS
For more information contact the UVW comms team.
Isabel: 07706 987443
Cristina: 07548 759340
E-mail: comms@uvwunion.org.uk
Notes for editors
United Voices of the World is an anti-racist, member-led, direct action, campaigning trade union and we exist to support and empower the most vulnerable groups of precarious, low-paid and predominantly BAME and migrant workers in the UK. We fight the bosses through direct action on the streets and through the courts and demand that all members receive at least the London Living Wage, full pay, sick pay, dignity, equality and respect.
For more on the Solace worker’s fight to save their jobs:
Workers at Solace Women’s Aid set to strike to save Tower Hamlets’ domestic abuse support services
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