Our action and your kind support in challenging Shelter's chief executive meant Shelter was forced to reduce its programme of downgrading advice posts to 32, around a third of those originally intended. But, using the threat of dismissal, our Senior Management managed to enforce a double pay cut for staff by extending the working week and abolishing incremental pay.

When faced with changes in funding arrangements for legal advice, and the competitive tendering the Government introduced, Shelter's senior management adopted a disastrous approach. Rather than act co-operatively with other organisations similarly affected in the 'not-for-profit' sector, Shelter led a 'race to the bottom' for the prize of larger contracts on worse conditions. As we predicted, far from providing a more stable future for the charity, this approach has undermined Shelter's services and contributes significantly to its current financial dire straits.

Things are anything but stable at Shelter now, where staff have been hit by another 33 compulsory redundancies this winter, and some of the new Legal Service Commission (LSC) contracts are being lost. There are fears of further attacks on working conditions and jobs as an outcome of Management's planned review of staff roles across the organisation in April 2009.

Something needs to be done now and, together with front-line workers from other organisations providing advice and services to vulnerable people, we are mounting a campaign through Unite the union and are lobbying the LSC to call for a review of how local services are funded and delivered. Please see the attached leaflet, publicise this widely and lend your support to the lunchtime lobby on Monday 8th December.