UNISON call on Capita to reverse mass redundancies in Barnet

Monday 7 October 2013

Dear Mark

Re: Capita Customer and Support Group (CSG) Redundancy consultation

I am writing to you in your role as Partnership Director, Capita which I understands covers both contracts with Barnet Council. I am taking this unusual step to make a direct plea to you and your senior management team to pause and consider if there is a possibility that the proposals which will be set out to staff and the trade unions today can be changed.

I have made it my business to study Capita Plc and there can be no doubt that your organisation continues to enjoy massive financial success as you win contract after contract across the public sector. In an article I read earlier this week in the Guardian it stated “Capita’s win rate is currently better than one in two.”

I know from other contracts Capita have won that there has been a commitment to deliver jobs in the local community. I recognise that this was not stipulated in the OJEU notice but the sheer size of job losses means it would be seriously negligent of UNISON not to try to engage your organisation in consultation about delivering a different service delivery model; one which would lead to maintaining and growing jobs in our community. Considering that already almost a third of the posts were vacant on the point of the transfer must provide financial opportunities to revise some of your proposals which would lead to more redundancies.

Today I along with a number of UNISON reps will be attending a number of Capita CSG service presentations to staff which will detail the Capita CSG transformation plan which unfortunately will mean redundancies for a large number of staff. This news will come as no surprise to staff as this outcome was made known last November 2012 once Capita was named as preferred bidder. In the TUPE consultations it became a little clearer as to where the redundancies would be made both through re-location and restructuring of services.

At some point today Capita will provide details of each transformation plan to the trade unions and begin a 90 day consultation. I have had an opportunity to study the Capita Transformation plan which sets out the plan to transfer & restructure services. Unless I have misunderstood the purposes by which Capita are consulting it has always been UNISON’s view that this is still a proposal. Indeed in the TUPE consultation it was pointed out to UNISON on a number of occasions that these were proposals and as such Capita could not enter into consultation until after transfer.

It is UNISON’s view that meaningful consultation must be undertaken at a time when proposals are still at a formative stage. It must include sufficient reasons for particular proposals to allow those consulted to give intelligent consideration and an intelligent response; adequate time must be given for this purpose; and the product of consultation must be conscientiously taken into account when the ultimate decision is taken. It is therefore our view that there is opportunity in the consultation period to be able to provide a considered response once we have all the facts which may impact on Capita’s final decision with regards the future for CSG services.

If this is not your understanding of the consultation process please can you let me know?

In the meantime please provide the following:

· The current CSG staffing establishment number including all filled & vacant posts

· A commitment that no CSG posts will be transferred to any of the proposed relocations before the end of consultation.

· A written response to UNISON’s request for CSG staff at risk of redundancy to be given access to vacant jobs within Barnet Council and Capita Plc.

· A copy of each of the proposed transformation plans for each of the services areas.

I look forward to hearing back from you in due course.

Yours sincerely

John Burgess

Branch Secretary Barnet UNISON

CC: Paul Pindar (Capita Chief Executive), Dave Prentis (UNISON General Secretary), Richard Cornelius (Leader, Barnet Council), Andrew Travers (Chief Executive, Barnet Council), UNISON members.