Category: National

National Campaigns

It’s Your Wages. This is what we are doing.

Austerity, Local, National, News, Schools, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

On Wednesday 15th January 2020 UNISON lodged collective grievances against 52 Barnet Schools to ensure we protect claims on behalf of all of over 500 UNISON members working in those schools.

Three things that need to be done for YOU.

  1. The way your employer calculates YOUR Pay needs to be changed in order that you are paid correctly.
  2. You have been underpaid for years. These are your wages that you have worked for and it is your right that your employer should pay you correctly.
  3. If you are in the Pension Scheme your Pension is wrong and you need to be compensated.

IMPORTANT ADVICE:

Barnet UNISON has an organiser called Nadia who will be contacting you to set up a meeting to explain what happens next.

If you want to speak to Nadia please contact the branch on 0208 359 2088 or email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

Term Time Pay Update Meeting

On Tuesday 25 February 2020 5.15 pm, Barnet House, 1255 High Road, Whetstone N20 0EJ after the Barnet UNISON Annual General Meeting there will be an update for all of our members on the claim.

Please come along.

Big shout out for UNISON for supporting Term Time Paid members in Barnet

Austerity, Local, National, News, Pensions, UNISON Campaign

“Since we were first alerted to the problem of underpayments for some of our lowest paid members I have been impressed by the support and advice from UNISON colleagues in UNISON HQ.

What started with one academy is now impacting on over 50 Barnet schools and also a number of private contractors such as ISS, Capita and Cambridge Education.

Over the next few months we have a massive task to reach all of our members in order that our Legal Team can submit claims on their behalf.

We are campaigning for each school to:

  • Adopt Barnet Council Term Time Pay calculator
  • Back dating of pay lost through the underpayment of their wages.
  • Payment towards any loss to our members Pensions due to underpayment of their wages.

(John Burgess, Branch Secretary, Barnet UNISON.)

Historic underpayments across schools and private contractors in Barnet

Austerity, Barnet Group, Local, National, News, Pensions, UNISON Campaign

Barnet UNISON has written to 67 Barnet Schools, Capita, ISS, Cambridge Education and The Barnet Group in regards potential underpayments to staff who are on Term Time Pay (TTP) contracts.

Whilst the majority of staff on TTP contracts are based in schools there are workers who were outsourced to other contractors also on the same contracts.

What is this about?

It is about the calculation used to ensure that part-time workers are not being discriminated in relation to their pay.

UNISON believes that this contract term is unfair and inherently discriminatory. We believe that this contract term results term time only workers receiving less than their pro-rata leave entitlement compared to their full time equivalent (FTE) colleagues.

UNISON believes that this contract treats part time workers less favourably than full time staff and is therefore discriminatory. We also believe that the approach is potentially discriminatory on sex grounds as the workers affected are overwhelmingly female.

UNISON is seeking a recalculation of the pay and leave of these staff and a payment of back pay of any historical underpayment from their date of appointment.

We would also seek a recalculation of any pension entitlement under the LGPS resulting from any underpayment or understatement of pensionable service.

This is a massive issue for our members and we are continuing to keep all of our members briefed as to their rights at work.

If you are on a Term Time Pay contract and worried if you are being correctly paid please contact the branch on 0208 359 2088 or email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

 

 

 

“Already over worked and underpaid, would you work for free?

Austerity, Local, National, Schools, UNISON Campaign

It’s hard to believe but Barnet UNISON has discovered that in some cases some of our members working in Barnet Academies are losing as much as 2, 3, or 4 weeks’ pay a year.

Barnet UNISON opposed the formation of Academies as we understood this was a backdoor privatisation of schools. At the time the branch was waging a long term campaign against the mass outsourcing One Barnet Programme which, amongst other things, brought #Capita to Barnet.

As secondary schools converted to academies they were very careful to present the privatisation of their School as different to that of other Council services. Familiar statements were made to staff that nothing would change, no one would notice any changes……

Unfortunately it appears that things have changed and not for the good.

Our schools staff members are often on part time and term time contracts. They often work a lot more hours than they get paid for. Goodwill is given because our members are committed to helping the pupils experience a good education.

However:

  • Our members must pay bills.
  • Our members need to feed their families just like anyone else.
  • Our members can definitely NOT afford to be working for FREE.

This is why Barnet UNISON has written to all of our members working across the Barnet Academies to urgently complete the paperwork about their pay and send it back to the Barnet UNISON office in the business reply envelope provided.

If you have not received any paperwork from Barnet UNISON please contact the branch on 0208 359 2088 or email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

You can download the form we need back from our members by clicking the link below.

Barnet Schools Newsletter Autumn 2019 Final

Vote Now To Save Your Job In Your School

Austerity, National, News, Report, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

 Vote Now To Save Your Job

UNISON is conducting an online ballot of UNISON members working on Schools in England.

 Schools are facing cuts each year that directly impact on our members.

 This has to stop.

The online ballot asks only three questions.

1. Do you believe the government funding cuts are having a negative effect on jobs, workloads, stress, etc. 

2. Do you believe Unison should continue to campaign on school funding for jobs pay and terms and conditions.

3. Would you be prepared to take industrial action to secure more money for jobs, pay, and terms and conditions in schools.

 

It’s that simple. UNISON needs to hear from every single member working in a school.

NOT VOTED YET?

Check that we have your current email address at unison.org.uk/myunison

We will send you an email when the ballot opens explaining how you can vote.

Visit unison.org.uk/speakupforschools to get more information on the issues and a link

to the online ballot.

To vote you will need your date of birth and your National Insurance number or UNISON membership number.

Please have your say – we need to know what you think.

Ballot closes 5 March 

 

Start spreading the NEWS “we’re balloting soon” actually start 22 January!

Austerity, Local, National, News, Report

Attention all Barnet UNISON School members:

UNISON on-line ballot will open on Tuesday 22nd January and close on Tuesday 5th March – a 6 week ballot period.

The three questions on the on-line ballot are as follows:

  1. Do you believe that government funding cuts are having a negative effect on jobs, workloads, stress, pay and terms and conditions in your schools?
  2. Do you believe that UNISON should continue to campaign on school funding for jobs, pay and terms and conditions?
  3. Would you be prepared to take industrial action to secure more money for jobs, pay and terms and conditions in schools?

It is really important that as many Barnet UNISON School staff take part in the ballot. Unless there is a radical change in funding for schools then more and more cuts will be delivered. These cuts are hurting our members and the children.

It is really important that School Staff send a message to UNISON that if necessary they will take strike action to stop the School Budget cuts.

 

3 things for Barnet UNISON school staff members can do:

  1. Please make sure you have passed on your correct email address to the Barnet UNISON branch by emailing contactus@barnetunison.org.uk
  2. Speak to your fellow workers and check they are in a trade union. If they are not in a union they won’t be able to vote and that will mean one less message going to the Government. If they are not in a union ask them to join Barnet UNISON. They can sign up on line by googling “Join UNISON” https://join.unison.org.uk/
  3. Contact Barnet UNISON in order to request flyers/information about the ballot to circulate amongst your colleagues by phone on 0208 359 2088 or email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk
Information:

UNISON Campaign web page https://bit.ly/2VDAv9I

UPDATE SCHOOLS: UNISON National on-line indicative ballot starts 22 January 2019

Austerity, Local, National, News, UNISON Campaign

Start spreading the NEWS!

The online consultation opens on 22 January 2019 – check the UNISON website for all ballot updates. It’s just three simple questions and your answers will help us in our campaign and negotiations with employers and the government.

UNISON web site https://www.unison.org.uk/

To view UNISON School Flyer click on link below

UNISON School flyer Jan 19

3 things for Barnet UNISON school staff members can do:

1. Please make sure you have passed on your correct email address to the Barnet UNISON branch by emailing contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

 

2. Speak to your fellow workers and check they are in a trade union. If they are not in a union they won’t be able to vote and that will mean one less message going to the Government. If they are not in a union ask them to join Barnet UNISON. They can sign up on line by googling “Join UNISON” https://join.unison.org.uk/

3. Contact Barnet UNISON in order to request flyers/information about the ballot to circulate amongst your colleagues by phone on 0208 359 2088 or email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

 

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