Barnet UNISON respond to CUTS to Adult Social Services

Summary

1) UNISON members have given a strong mandate to UNISON to register their disagreement with the proposals outlined in the document to the employer.

2) The proposals see around 18% of jobs in Adults and Communities excluding mental health being lost. Whilst this is offset by the creation of 22 jobs and the reduction then falls to around 9%, the majority of those new posts are in place of higher paid and professional posts. Whilst there are fewer hard redundancies there is huge concern as to how any consequent increase in workload can be managed in a safe way against a backdrop of a workforce already struggling to keep on top of managing the work safely. » Read more

Unified Pay Update – Please read

Dear Colleagues

Barnet Council issued the following statement yesterday Thursday 28 January 2016:

The following communication applies to directly employed council staff, with the exception of those employed in Education and Skills who are currently subject to alternative delivery model proposals. The proposals will automatically apply to non-teaching staff in Community Schools. These proposals do not automatically apply to non-teaching staff in non-community schools where it is for the governing body to decide.

As you will know, the council has been working on the Unified Reward project since 2012, reviewing the basic pay, terms and conditions of all staff, including support staff in community schools whose terms and conditions are governed by National Joint Council (NJC), but excluding Education and Skills staff. The council’s aims and objectives of Unified Reward is to create a pay and reward system which is simpler, fairer, more flexible and rewards performance. The council believes this was needed to address the wide range of grades that had been created across the authority, remove inconsistencies and to ensure that staff are being rewarded for the work they do. The trade unions have worked closely with the council to jointly evaluate more than 4,000 jobs.

Since October 2015, the council has been negotiating with the trade unions on the updated package of proposals. Those negotiations have now reached a conclusion, and both the council and trade unions will be in a position to shortly present a full package of proposals to staff for the purposes of consultation.

The last three months of negotiations have been looking at a number of elements. As well as reviewing basic pay, other forms of pay and reward have been reviewed, and terms and conditions including changes to annual leave, sickness and other allowances have all been discussed. The negotiations have been constructive and both the council and your trade unions have moved from their initial positions, to try and reach the mutual goal of a fair package for all, to present to staff for consultation.

The council and trade unions have now in principle reached an agreement on the proposals to be shared with and considered by staff through a formal consultation process, which for the council will take place in the form of briefings and for trade union members will be conducted by way of a formal consultative ballot according to their democratic procedures.

We will let you know more about these council briefings and how you can book your place soon.

Any questions you have about the process at this stage should be directed to unified.reward@barnet.gov.uk.

You can contact your trade union at contactus@barnetunsion.org.uk mary.goodson@barnet.gov.uk

 

IMPORTANT PLEASE NOTE :

If you have any questions or concerns please email the Council at unified.reward@barnet.gov.uk and copy in UNISON at contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

 

Capita Payroll Pension letter sent out in error

 

Dear member

If you have recently received a letter from Capita Pay Roll about having to make up Pension contributions due to having taken strike action please note the following:

HR has confirmed to UNISON this was sent out in error.

HR will be sending out a letter confirming this is the case.

You do not have to respond to the letter or the deadline.

If you have any concerns please contact the branch at contactus@barnetunison.org.uk or telephone 0208 359 2088

 

John McDonnell pays tribute to Barnet UNISON members and Save Barnet Libraries campaign

 

“ I want to pay tribute and send solidarity greetings to Barnet UNISON and Save Barnet Libraries campaign for their sterling efforts to expose and prevent the proposed widespread decimation of their Library service. The combination of strike action and the recent legal challenge is an inspiration to all of us fighting austerity policies up and down the country.”

John McDonnell Shadow Chancellor

 

Libraries proposal could impact on health outcomes and crime

“Binge reading & Under-age reading!”

Word is out amongst our members working in Libraries that the current fantasy library proposals could rapidly lead to potentially serious medical conditions for Barnet Library users which could add further pressure on our local NHS services and an increase in crime.

“Binge reading” – health risks

Staffless Libraries will mean limited access to Barnet Libraries for children under 16 and people with disabilities. Our library workers believe this will inevitably lead to an outbreak of “binge reading”.

“It’s just an awful condition which leaves the customer badly in need of a regular fix of more and more books. They get really desperate and just any book will do. It’s sad to see, they don’t care, it could be fiction, non-fiction, or even magazines. I knew one customer who only read hardbacks, but once he began binge reading he was taking anything he could get his hands on. I just don’t think our Council realises the risks it’s taking with their Library proposals” (Anonymous Barnet Library worker)

Under-age reading & crime 

Barnet Library staff have reported their concern that as a result of restricted access for children under 16 to their local Library, there could be an increase of underage reading. One worker who wanted to remain anonymous said:

“It’s sad really, that the council has promoted a policy which could lead to underage reading. It leaves children at risk of exploitation. The idea that book pushers could populate the streets of Barnet is frightening. We know book pushers will not supply quality books, quite often it is cheap, poor quality books. But the books they push are addictive. I worry for young people, they should have access to high quality books available in a safe environment.”

John Burgess UNISON Branch secretary said:

“We have repeatedly warned the Council of the serious health and anti-social behaviour risks that could quickly sweep across our local communities. I believe there are well researched reports detailing the impact of binge reading on health outcomes which inevitably bring unwelcome pressure on an already overloaded NHS. The Council also refuses to accept the risk of increased crime as a result of under-age reading. The prospect of book pushers on the streets of Barnet fills me with dread. That is why I would encourage library lovers wherever you are to view this excellent Save Barnet Libraries Animation here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3XfibjbJuA and Sign our Save Barnet Libraries Petition here

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/no-to-volunteer-and-unstaffed-libraries-in-barnet?bucket&source=facebook-share-button&time=1448832079

 

 

My hero in 2015? The man with the plan to beat the cuts.

My hero in 2015? The man with the plan to beat the cuts.

Please see link above to this article in the Guardian on Tuesday 22 December 2015, about our branch secretary, John Burgess. It is almost unheard of for a branch secretary to get this kind of coverage in a national newspaper and is a testimony to the work John has done over the years and to the work of many of our branch members and activists. There are more John Burgess’s and there is an urgent need to bring people together to fight for a better union on the national stage so that our chances of success in the battles to come are greatly improved.

Helen Davies, Branch Chair Barnet UNISON

 

 

 

STOP PRESS: 92% of Barnet Council staff now face outsourcing

On Wednesday 25 November Chancellor George Osborne will announce details of his Comprehensive Spending Review. Barnet Council agreed at their Policy & Resources Committee, 9 July 2015 that their Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) needed to deliver £81.1 million in budget cuts.

A large part of the strategy is outsourcing and becoming a commissioning council, outsourcing their staff to other employers and asking them to deliver the staff savings.

On Wednesday 18 November councillors on Children, Education, and Libraries & Safeguarding Committee agreed to award a contract to global multinational giant Mott MacDonald.

This decision which still has to be ratified at a Full Council meeting on Tuesday 8 December 2015 will mean 476 Council workers transfer out of the Council to the private contractor.

At the same meeting councillors agreed to add staff working in Family Services to the ever growing outsourcing pipeline, aka Barnet Commissioning Council. This outsourcing project includes children’s social workers (child protection), children centre workers and youth workers among others.

At the Performance and Contract Management Committee, on Tuesday 17th November the following staffing figures were produced:

1. Education & Skills and Catering 300.93 full time equivalent posts

2. Street Scene services 428.46 full time equivalent posts

3. Library Service 114 full time equivalent posts).

4. Adults & Communities 235.71 full time equivalent posts

5. Family services 461.31 full time equivalent posts. Library figures have been excluded

6. Commissioning Group 147.87 full time equivalent posts

The decision to add all staff working in Family Services to the outsourcing project means that 92% (1,540.41 full time equivalents) of the current Barnet Council workforce are now facing the likelihood of being outsourced.

This would leave only council staff working in the Commissioning Group as Council employees. 

UNISON Branch Secretary John Burgess said: On Wednesday 25 November the Chancellor George Osborne will provide the details to his Comprehensive Spending Review. It is the worst kept secret that his review will lead to damaging future for social care and public services. The attack will be delivered by either cuts and or mass outsourcing.  The model for the sell-off of the NHS has been hatched and delivered here in Barnet. We have had 7 years of Future Shape, Easy Council, One Barnet and now Commissioning Council and we are finally at the point we predicted back in 2008, that the Council was looking to handover their staff to other employers, leaving behind a small core of workers. Whilst the Council will claim that decisions have not been made, staff in Barnet are fully aware of the ‘direction of travel’ for staff and will now be no doubt be making their own plans. This news presents a serious risk particularly for social services as social workers are highly likely to consider moving elsewhere. There is already a social work recruitment and retention crisis in Barnet this news is unlikely to help.”

End.

Notes to Editors.

Contact details: John Burgess Barnet UNISON on 07738389569 or 0208 359 2088 or email: john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk

Background:

Six years ago Barnet Council introduced a policy known as Future Shape which morphed into ‘easyCouncil’*.This imposed a series of tariffs on residents wishing to access a range of services. A basic service would be offered to residents at a fixed price, but ‘fast track’ services might be available if you paid extra.

This approach was quickly abandoned by the consultant driven One Barnet Programme, which led to the following Council Services being outsourced/privatised in the space of three years:

1. Social Care for Adults with disabilities to Your Choice Barnet

2. Housing Options to Barnet Homes

3. Parking Services to NSL

4. Revenues & Benefits, IT, HR & Payroll, Pensions, Health & Safety, Finance, Estates, Property Services, Procurement, Projects all now part of Capita CSG

5. Environmental Health, Planning, Building Control, Hendon Cemetery & Crematorium, Highways, Trading Standards & Licensing all now Capita RE

6. Legal Services

7. Registrars & Nationality Services

8. CCTV

9. Music Trust

10. Public Health

11. Mortuary Services.

Over the past three years our members have seen hundreds of colleagues transferred to other employers. This has often meant redundancy as the new employer moved jobs out of the borough and Greater London to places as far afield as Belfast, Carlisle, Coventry, Southampton and Darlington.

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