Staff are holding a strike ballot at East London’s longest-established housing transfer organisation over the threat of job losses.

It follows a massive ‘restructure’ at Harca, the Poplar Housing & Regeneration community association, that unions fear is being ‘rushed through’ without “proper consultation with staff and residents.”

The Unison and GMB unions are asking members if they want to strike—for the first time in the organisation’s history. The ballot result will be known on Friday.

The proposed cuts include downgrading staff and reducing pay as well as 94 posts being axed.

GMB Organiser said Gary Carter said: “Poplar Harca says it’s in a strong financial position—so clearly there’s no valid economic reason to rush through forced redundancies.”

Staff have organised a petition calling for “proper meaningful consultation” and have held a lunch-time lobby outside the organisation’s offices in Chrisp Street Market.

Poplar Harca, which manages 8,500 homes taken over from Tower Hamlets council, has issued a notice advising the government of potential redundancies among its 300 staff.