Category: Austerity

BREAKING NEWS: Two more experienced Mental Health social workers due to leave this month.

Anti - Racism, Austerity, Local, News, Recruitment, Solidarity, Trades Dispute, UNISON Campaign

Two more experienced Mental health social workers are about to start work in the NHS this month which is devastating news for the service and the morale of the workforce. Barnet Council have failed to acknowledge that they have a problem reciting social workers with Mental health experience to the team which has meant the exodus of experienced mental health social workers is having a critical impact on the remaining workforce.

The chronic turnover of staff across our acute Mental Health teams is plunging the service into a deeper crisis as Barnet Council refuses to submit a reasonable proposal to resolve this long-standing dispute.

UNISON has repeatedly urged the Council over the last nine months to take this matter seriously by doing the right thing and working with UNISON to stop the mass exodus of social workers from these acute Mental Health social work teams.

UNISON has warned the Council that if senior officers continue to take an adversarial approach to negotiations, then a nine weeks strike action over a 13 week period will begin on Monday 15 April.

If our members do take part in the next phase of strike action, it will mean that Barnet UNISON Mental Health social workers will have taken 72 strike days which equates to 1,305 lost working days or 13,050 lost contacts with Mental Health service users.

The power to end this dispute is in the hands of Barnet Council.

End.

Countdown begins just 10 Days before 9 weeks of strike action……

Austerity, Local, Recruitment, Solidarity, Trades Dispute, UNISON Campaign
-10Days -12Hours -58Minutes 00Seconds

Date 3 April 2024.

The start date of unprecedented strike action is only 11 days away.

To date Barnet UNISON Mental Health social workers have already taken 27 days of strike action which equates to 405 lost working days across the Mental Health service, or 4,050 service user contacts lost.

Incredibly despite two meetings with Acas, Barnet Council has yet to make a reasonable offer to try and resolve this dispute.

Last week to try and avert the escalation of the dispute Barnet UNISON submitted more information to Barnet Council including the news that two more experienced Mental Health social workers are due to leave the teams in April thus escalating the crisis within the frontline Mental Health teams.

We are waiting for a response.

In the absence of a meaningful offer which UNISON could recommend to their members the escalation of the strike takes place over three time periods.

The first period is a two-week strike from 15 April to 26 April 2024.

The second period is a three-week strike from 13 May to 1 June 2024

The third period is a four-week strike from 17 June to 12 July 2024. (four weeks).

End.

Barnet UNISON National Pay Meeting : Wednesday 24 April 6.30- 7.30

Anti - Racism, Austerity, National, News, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

Wednesday 24 April 6.30- 7.30

Join Barnet UNISON  Zoom Meeting using the link below.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89074206415?pwd=OEo0L1NkQmFPSSsxU3dGemlvR0xyUT09

Meeting ID: 890 7420 6415

Passcode: 779562

Barnet UNISON is organising a series of Pay meetings over the next three months to update members on the National Pay Negotiations.

UNISON proposal is as follows:

  • £3,000 or 10%.
  • Two-hour reduction of the working week without financial loss.
  • One additional annual leave.

UNISON, Unite and GMB are in negotiations and will report back once they have had a formal response from the National Employers.

It is likely that UNISON will conduct a strike ballot of their members. It is important that all Barnet UNISON members are ready to VOTE. Last year Barnet UNISON was 6 votes short of a successful strike ballot.

This time we intend on delivering a massive VOTE on National Pay.

 

End.

Barnet UNISON: How to access your Barnet Council Pension details online.

Austerity, Pensions

Below is a message from Barnet Council Pension Provider West Yorkshire Pension Fund (WYPF). The aim of the advice below is to help members register to view their Pension details online. Once you are registered you can see all your Pension details. UNISON recommends that UNISON members in the scheme to register using the advice below.

If you have any issues registering, please contact Barnet UNISON at contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

Portal Available for Barnet Pension Fund Members.

Are you aware of the MyPension member portal for members of the Barnet Fund?

This portal (offered by the West Yorkshire Pension Fund) will enable you to view important pension documents such as your annual benefit statement and you will also be able to update your pension records directly and complete an expression of wish form online. You can also run online estimates of how much your Barnet Pension may be at future retirement dates.

If you have not done so already, you are able to register for the portal at https://www.wypf.org.uk/mypension .

If you would like help in registering (which should only take 5-10 minutes), Jim Nokku from the Barnet Pensions Team will be in Room 3.5 in Colindale on 28 March to assist you with registration. To book a 10 minute slot with Jim, please send an email to pensions@barnet.gov.uk and we will book you in.

 

 

 

Breaking News: UNISON issues strike notice to Barnet Council on World Social Work day.

Anti - Racism, Austerity, Local, News, Recruitment, Solidarity, Trades Dispute, UNISON Campaign

Today, Tuesday 19 March 2024 (also World Social Work Day) UNISON wrote to Barnet Council Chief Executive to inform him that UNISON intends to call its Mental Health social worker members to take part in industrial action. The intended dates for members to take part in discontinuous strike action are:

  • 15 April 2024 to 26 April 2024.
  • 13 May 2024 to 1 June 2024
  • 17 June 2024 to 12 July 2024.

This is unprecedented strike action which will see Barnet UNISON Mental Health social workers and assessment and enablement officers taking nine weeks of strike action over a 13-week period.

John Burgess, Branch Secretary, Barnet UNISON: “This is a pivotal moment in this long running industrial dispute where our members have already taken 27 days of strike action which equates to 405 lost working days for service users in Barnet. Our members are deeply upset at the lack of understanding about the chronic turnover of staff across the three mental health social work teams. As each month goes by another worker leaves (3 have left this year) which is de-stabilising the teams. The Council is failing to follow its own policy and is in complete denial about the implications of further strike action. Talks in ACAS broke down because the Council came with the wrong attitude. Tomorrow UNISON is back in ACAS with Barnet Council. I hope that this time senior management are coming to ACAS with a genuine proposal to resolve this dispute.”

 

Helen Davies, Branch Chair, Barnet UNISON: “The fact the notification has been sent on World Social Work Day reminds us that we believe the striking social workers are right to say ‘This is what social work looks like!’ as they are reclaiming the tradition of calling out poor and unsafe practice by those with power. No registration body has ever stopped social workers practicing in unsafe conditions. We are backing our members all the way to make the service safe for workers and safe for service users.”

 

End.

Strike fundraiser Friday 5 April – Mental Health social worker strike

Anti - Racism, Austerity, Health and Safety, Local, News, Recruitment, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

Barnet UNISON Mental Health strikers have taken 27 days of strike action which equates to 405 lost working days.

Due to the anti-trade union legislation we had to re-ballot the strikers who voted 100% for more strike action.

Our strikers agreed they needed to escalate the dispute as Barnet Council were not taking this dispute seriously.

They have agreed the following timetable of strike action:

  • From 15 April to 26 April 2024 (two weeks).
  • From 13 May to 1 June 2024 (three weeks).
  • From 17 June to 12 July 2024.(four weeks).

This is serious escalation of the dispute.

On behalf of our strikers, Barnet UNISON is inviting supporters to

Strike Fund raiser on Friday 5 April 6- 11 pm

at Pelican House E1 5QJ.

 

Tickets and more info here:

https://www.outsavvy.com/event/18934/strike-fundraiser

 

The event is being organised by Young UNISON members in London.

 

End.

Social Care and Repair Workers 87% Vote Yes to Action on Pay

Anti - Racism, Austerity, Barnet Group, Barnet Homes, Health and Safety, Local, News, Recruitment, Repairs, Solidarity, TBG Flex, Trades Dispute, UNISON Campaign, Your Choice Barnet

“If the those at the top can’t pay up then one of them should go so we do have money. We don’t need so many big Daddies.”

Anju, The Barnet Group UNISON rep

On a turnout of 70%, 98% agreed with Barnet UNISON’s pay claim and 87% said they were willing to take strike action in favour of the pay claim. The overwhelming majority of these are care and support workers.

Workers in The Barnet Group who are affected by the London Living Wage, having no enhanced rates of pay for working nights, bank holidays or overtime rates were surveyed in an indicative ballot for strength of feeling over these issues. Barnet UNISON’s pay claim was put to them.

Shockingly the lowest paid in The Barnet Group were given no pay rise for the whole of 2023! Paying the new rate of the London Living Wage 6 months after the new rate was announced with no backdate does not help the lowest paid.

The pay claim is: 

  1. Backdate the London Living Wage increase to £13.15 to the 1/11/23 and maintain differentials between other grades in YCB.
  2. Pay Overtime Rates of time and a half Monday to Saturday and double time Sundays and Bank Holidays.
  3. Pay enhanced rates of 25% Saturday 6am to 10pm; 50% Sunday all day; 100% Bank holiday (25% = time and a quarter; 50% = time and a half; 100% = double time)
  4. Pay an increased Rate of time and a third for night working (10pm-6am).

Barnet UNISON hopes that the results of the survey will lead to productive talks where consideration will be given to the demands. If no such consideration will be given we will progress to a formal ballot of these members with a view to taking strike action.

On hearing the results this is what some of our reps had to say:

“It’s a good result for us. Actions speak louder than words. We work so hard, we deserve it. We get no thank you’s.”

Tracy, The Barnet Group UNISON rep.

 “It’s time to act. It’s a call from the trenches.”

Pauline, The Barnet Group UNISON rep

“The COVID heroes have spoken. The Barnet Group needs to listen.”

Patrick Hunter, Assistant Branch Secretary for Barnet UNISON

“Most of these workers are skilled workers and yet they have rates of pay which are lower than for unskilled work. Is it because they are women? Is it because they are predominantly Black? If Equalities actually mean something, then this needs to be sorted.”

Helen Davies, Chair of Barnet UNISON.

 

End.

 

Breaking News: Barnet UNISON Mental Health social worker re-ballot results

Anti - Racism, Austerity, Health and Safety, Local, News, Trades Dispute, UNISON Campaign

Friday 23 February 2024.

Our Barnet UNISON Mental Health social workers re-ballot results are now in.

We had a 91% turn out with a 100% VOTE for strike action.

Barnet UNISON Mental Health social workers have already taken 27 days of strike action which equates to approximately 4,050 lost contact days for Mental health service users in Barnet.

Today UNISON submitted the results to the Barnet Council Chief Executive.

UNISON has agreed to go into talks with Barnet Council and ACAS. UNISON have agreed a couple of dates in early March.

UNISON has from the outset been prepared to negotiate to reach a resolution to what has become the longest running Mental Health social worker strike in UNISON’s history.

Barnet UNISON has agreed a new strike timetable with our members which will begin in April in the unfortunate event that we are unable to reach a resolution.

The strike timetable would be a significant increase in the number of strike days taken by the social workers so far.

  • From 15 April to 26 April 2024 (two weeks).
  • From 13 May to 1 June 2024 (three weeks).
  • From 17 June to 12 July 2024. (four weeks).

Our members are 100% behind UNISONs negotiating team and remain hopeful that a positive resolution can be secured to avoid any further strike action.

More news later.

End.

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