A UNION representing Torfaen housing workers taking industrial action over pay has penned an open letter to their employer calling for action.

Workers at Bron Afon Housing association in Cwmbran originally went on strike on July 13 in protest at annual salaries being slashed by more than £3,000 - from £23,572 to £20,416.

As the strike enters its seventh day of industrial action this month, trade union Unison, has stated that some employees are at risk of losing their homes.

The letter reads: "The vital interventions of support workers allow service users to sustain their tenancies and keep their homes.

"Now, because of the slashing of salaries, some employees are themselves at risk of having to leave their homes because they can’t pay their bills.

"The benefits some service users receive amount to more than the salary of the people supporting them".

The cuts affect workers from the supported living team who provide assistance to vulnerable people over the age of 50 in their own homes.

Unison claims the housing firm cut salaries and increased working hours after winning a £540,000 contract.

The open letter to Bron Afon's board adds "executives (have) displayed no awareness of the hurt they have caused staff" and that there was no evidence of "securing a swift agreement".

"Employees used to feel proud to work for Bron Afon and now they feel insignificant and worthless," it added.

As previously reported, Bron Afon stated they were "disappointed" at the industrial action stating staff applied for the jobs and were given advance notice on salary changes.

Chairman of Bron Afon's board, Andrew Lawrence, released an official response to the trade union's recent letter.

He said: "I, as chair of our board and Mandy Eddolls, chair of our staffing committee, considered the contents.

"Unison’s comments do not represent the full picture. We will be responding directly to them this week and are firmly committed to continuing dialogue.

"We very much hope that this ongoing dispute is quickly resolved. The latest, very generous offer we have made, remains on the table and underlines our firm commitment to achieving this, within the budget that is available to us for this externally commissioned contract".