Members of the Unite union have called off a strike at Zacchaeus 2000 Trust (Z2K) after the anti-poverty charity scrapped plans to increase its directors' pay.

The union's members were due to walk out from 7 to 18 July, following two weeks of strike action that took place from 27 May to 6 June after the charity announced plans to increase the salary of its directors.

The charity’s chair Emeka Forbes said she is “pleased” the union has called off its industrial action following ACAS talks.

“Separately from our engagement with union representatives, our financial position has shifted, and we have therefore decided not to proceed with the proposal. We remain firmly committed to fair and equitable pay across the organisation,” she said.

In announcing an end to strike action Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Using its resources to uplift the pay of some of the highest earners was the wrong choice and Unite is glad our action has shone a light on how unfair it was.”

Regional officer for the union Will Searby added: “This is a major step in the right direction and we look forward to working with management for fairer pay for all workers at Z2K.”

Unite claims directors at the charity were being offered a 25% pay rise, compared to a three per cent increase for its lowest paid staff.

But Forbes disputes the union’s figure for its director pay rise plans, saying the increase would have been a fifth of this amount.

She said: “It is completely false to claim that the proposal included a 25% increase to director salaries, and we are disappointed that Unite continues to promote this misleading narrative.

“We had proposed a change to pay banding that would have resulted in a modest 5% uplift for directors, aimed at correcting a long-standing organisational pay disparity.

“In previous years, we’ve consistently prioritised increases for roles below director level, which now average 10% above sector benchmarks.”

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