AGE UK staff in Newton Abbot are among around 200 workers preparing to vote on strike action amid a dispute over pay and the rising cost of living.

The ballot, organised by trade union Unite, opens on October 14 and closes on November 18.

It follows years of below-inflation pay rises, which the union says have left workers’ wages falling by 15.3 per cent in real terms since 2021.

The dispute involves call centre and office staff working across Newton Abbot, Blackpool, London and Warrington.

Their roles include supporting Age UK’s Advice Line, Silver Line emotional support and friendship service, and regional partner organisations.

Unite says relations between staff and management have deteriorated after most workers received a pay rise of just two per cent.

The union claims Age UK previously said it could only afford the increase because of concerns that its financial reserves would fall to £25 million.

However, Unite says the charity has since confirmed its reserves are forecast to stand at £31 million by the end of the year.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said staff played an important role in supporting vulnerable older people and argued that Age UK could afford to make a more reasonable pay offer.

‘They are the backbone of Age UK and cannot swallow another real-terms pay cut’, Sharon said.

‘Age UK can afford to make a reasonable pay offer - that is what needs to happen’, she added.

An Age UK worker said staff felt ‘totally undervalued and let down’ by management, which they believed was allowing their pay to fall further behind the cost of living rather than offering a fair increase.

The worker added: ‘Age UK campaigns for pensioners to have financial security. Its own staff are facing exactly the same financial pressures, and we deserve a fair pay rise to help keep up with rising costs’.