Oxfam workers are preparing to strike for 17 days throughout December in protest over the charity’s pay policies.
The workers, who are members of Unite, one of the UK’s biggest trade unions, claim they have suffered a 21% pay cut in real terms since 2018.
The strike, which will affect Oxfam’s shops, offices and Oxford headquarters, is the first in the charity’s 81-year history.
It comes after the workers rejected a pay offer of £1,750 or 6%, whichever is higher, plus a one-off taxed payment of £1,000 for all workers except those in the highest two pay bands.
The workers voted 83% in favour of strike action in a ballot with an 82% turnout.
Up to 500 of Oxfam’s UK employees are expected to go on strike from 8 December until the end of the month, affecting more than 200 stores.
An Oxfam GB spokesperson said in an emailed statement: “We are obviously disappointed that Unite members have voted to strike.
“We are acutely aware of the pressures colleagues face as a result of the rising cost of living and we have done what we can to address this. We chose to bring forward paying the latest real Living Wage increases, and prioritised lower paid colleagues in this year’s award.
“We deeply regret that we could not do more but the settlement Unite is asking for is simply not affordable for Oxfam at a time when many of the communities we work with around the world are also facing sharply rising costs.
“We will now do everything possible to minimise the impact on our work and to support colleagues over the coming weeks.”
Trade union Unite said Oxfam “exploits” workers by not paying them properly and that Oxfam is considering using unpaid labour during the strike.
The union said real-terms pay decline is hypocritical as Oxfam expresses public disapproval of pay cuts at other companies, and the cut comes after cash reserves in 2022 that were the highest in five years.
According to Unite, 8% of Oxfam workers that took part in a survey used foodbanks, 22% could not afford rent and 34% had to choose between heating or feeding their families.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Oxfam wants to end poverty and says it is on the side of unions. Yet its own workers report having to use foodbanks, it refuses to engage with the only union representing its workforce and it is considering using unpaid labour to break a strike.”
Oxfam said it is committed to paying the UK Living Wage, which increased to £10.90 per hour in May, or £11.95 per hour for London employees.
The charity said the pay deal represents an average salary increase of 7.7% when adjustments are taken into account.
It said it introduced new rates five months earlier than usual, effective from the start of November 2022.
Oxfam’s reported income was £373 million in 2022, with expenditure totalling £329 million.
However, Oxfam said its unrestricted reserves have fallen since March 2022 and it is currently “at the lower end” of what is necessary to allow the charity to weather future financial shocks.
In a statement on Thursday, Unite said Oxfam had refused to engage in talks with its workers’ union.
Oxfam responded, saying it has a long-standing collective bargaining agreement with the Oxfam Joint Trade Union Shop, which comprises Unite and the Independent Oxfam Union.
The company, which has more than 1,800 UK staff, said Unite members voted to reject a revised pay offer made in August while members of its independent union voted to accept the deal.
The trade union said that industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved.