A meeting this month between Unite the union and senior staff at St Mungo’s collapsed this week amid allegations that the charity’s chief executive Emma Haddad lost her temper.

A source close to union officials at the meeting alleges it collapsed "after the chief executive shouted at workers”.

The meeting took place on 20 June was and was staged as part of a long running dispute over pay involving 500 union members at the charity.

Unite workers have this week begun an indefinite strike and the union says its membership among workers has risen to 800 since the dispute began.

“Only constructive negotiations are going to resolve this dispute,” said a Unite spokesperson.

“Workers have taken an unprecedented decision to stage an indefinite strike. It shows the strength of feeling out there among 500 workers.

“We’ve added about 300 members to our total over the period of the dispute which also shows the union has got rock solid support and management are out of step with its workers and it needs to take a breath and get back to negotiations and end the dispute.”

A spokesperson for the charity said: “We are aware of allegations raised about the meeting and they are being taken seriously in line with our existing procedures.

"We are firmly committed to finding a solution to end this pay dispute at the earliest opportunity, so we can continue to focus on our important work supporting people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness."

Last week the union branded the charity’s management as “callous” and said it had instigated “a do-nothing approach to negotiations”.

As part of their action, striking workers have begun staging protests outside the workplaces of the charity’s trustees.

The current indefinite action follows a month-long strike involving workers in London, Bristol, Brighton, Oxford, Bournemouth and Reading.

Unite workers have called a 2.25% pay offer “pitiful” amid the cost-of-living crisis amid a dispute that dates back to 2021.

This comes amid claims by Unite that average CEO pay at the charity has risen by 77% over the last decade.

According to Unite frontline workers at the charity take home less than £20,000 a year after tax and deductions.

“Many of the workers are now in fear themselves after being unable to pay their rent or mortgage on their current poverty wages,” said Unite.

Its general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The charity’s staff do not take indefinite strike action lightly, but they face a desperate situation - they need St Mungo’s to listen and act.

“The indifference of the management to their own staff smacks of the corporatisation of the charity sector. It’s Corporate Britain plc arriving in the charity sector. St Mungo's have executives on well over £100,000 a year and the same people insist their workers should exist on poverty wages with actual wage cuts."

The union’s regional officer Steve O’Donnell added: “St Mungo’s workers are sending a clear message to the Board. Management has lost control. Their failure to take heed of the strength of feeling amongst staff is the reason for this indefinite strike.

“It’s time to save St Mungo’s reputation and enter into genuine constructive negotiations to end this dispute.”

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