Category: UNISON Campaign

Dear UNISON member

As you all know Barnet Council UNISON members (excluding schools staff) are taking strike action on Wednesday 7 October.

Over the past two weeks we have been busy contacting our members by letter, meetings, phone, text and email.

However, last week we noticed that our weekly Enews which is sent to all of our members was not being delivered to our members working for Barnet Council.

We have conducted investigations to see if the problem was at our end. Our emails have been going to other employers emails and private email addresses, so it is clear that the problem lies with the IT service provided Capita.

I have written to senior officers of the Council and Capita to try to establish why all of a sudden Barnet UNISON emails were not reaching our members.

In the meantime it is important that our members are kept up to date on the details of the strike.

Please report to one of the following picket lines

1. Barnet House—From 7 am

Picket Line Coordinator: Helen Davies 07432733168

2. Mill Hill Depot—From 6 am

Picket Line Coordinator: John Burgess 07738389569

3. East Finchley Library—From 9 am

Picket Line Coordinator: Hugh Jordan 07983391740

Rally 12.30 -St Johns Church Hall, Friern Barnet Lane

Speakers to be confirmed.

To find out more about the strike click here

Best wishes

John Burgess

Branch Secretary

To view details of the Lobby please click here

 

 

 

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said :

“I have been a long term supporter of John Burgess & Barnet UNISON and the community campaign that has shown remarkable fighting spirit in the face of a relentless attack from the hard right in control of Barnet Council. Under Jeremy, people can see that there is a real alternative to austerity which is why I am fully behind Barnet UNISON members taking strike action on 7 October. If possible I hope to join you on the picket line.”

Catering staff know what’s cooking. They don’t like privatisation and they will be on strike 7 October

Children’s centre staff know it’s child’s play – of course they don’t like privatisation and they will be on strike 7 October

Refuse workers know rubbish when they see it. They don’t like privatisation and they will be taking strike action 7 October

Social Workers know about safeguarding services. They don’t like privatisation and they will be taking strike action 7 October

OT’s have assessed the situation. They don’t like privatisation and they will be taking strike action 7 October

Assessment and Enablement Officers have reviewed the situation. They don’t like privatisation and they will be taking strike action 7 October

Hospital social workers have arranged support but not for privatisation. They will be taking strike action 7 October

Mental Health workers know what makes them crazy. They don’t like privatisation and they will be taking strike action 7 October

Coach drivers and passenger escorts know something about the direction of travel. They don’t like privatisation and they will be taking strike action 7 October

Library workers have read all about it. They don’t like privatisation and they will be taking strike action 7 October

Here are 8 ways you can support  #BarnetStrikers

 

1. Please sign our petition here
2. Pop down to our picket lines, details here
3. Promote our campaign song here
4. Promote this short animation about how Austerity is impacting our community here
5. Please send messages of solidarity & support to contactus@barnetunison.org.uk
6. Please send donations to Barnet UNISON office at contactus@barnetunison.org.uk
7. Follow us on Twitter here
8. Follow us on Facebook here and like our page and share our posts.

 

 

To view flyer please click here

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Barnet UNISON propose 24 hour strike on 7 October

Barnet UNISON members who still work for Barnet Council (excluding community schools) will begin a 24 hour strike action on Wednesday 7 October

The dispute involves social workers, coach escorts, drivers, occupational therapists, schools catering staff, education welfare officers, library workers, children centre workers, street cleaning & refuse workers, all of whom have made it clear they want to remain employees of Barnet Council and don’t want to be outsourced.

Barnet Council is about to agree a number of outsourcing and cuts across a number of council committees over the next four months which would see the number of staff employed by the council reduced to less than 300.

The outsourcing of services is Barnet Council’s response to austerity policies which have resulted in council budgets being cut by 40% by 2020. It is a deliberate ideological attack on public services which punishes our members and limits access to public services for the most vulnerable in our society. Barnet Council announced a few weeks ago that Meals on Wheels will cease as from 1 April 2016, which is another sign of how pernicious austerity fundamentalist policies are to those in most need http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34310729

On 2 October the Council will publish a report on the future of the library service which is seeking to reduce the staff budget by 68%. This will, in effect, destroy our wonderful public library services.

At our recent Kids4Libraries march Jeremy Corbyn, now Leader of Labour Party said: ‘First I want to add my apologies to the event and the huge admiration for Barnet UNISON. I want to send a message of support to John Burgess & the Save Barnet Libraries campaign for their tireless & inspirational community campaign to protect their local Library service. I would encourage everyone to join their Kids4Libraries this Saturday 12 September. Barnet Council are determined to outsource all of their services I salute Barnet UNISON & the community campaign for their ongoing fight to defend public services.’

Picket Lines will be:

· Barnet House from 7 am.

· Mill Hill Depot—Starts 6 am onwards.

· East Finchley Library—Start 9 am onwards.

A rally will be held outside Barnet House at 12 noon

UNISON Branch Secretary John Burgess said: “Our members want to work for the Council, they want to be directly accountable to the residents of Barnet. Our members don’t want to work for an employer which will have to place the shareholders’ legal demands before local residents’ needs. Our members don’t want to work for an employer which uses zero hours contracts. Our members don’t want to work for an employer which will not pay the London Living Wage as a basic minimum. Our members don’t want to work for an employer which won’t allow their colleagues to belong to their Pension Scheme, and our members don’t want to work for an employer which will take jobs out of the borough. That’s why 87% of our members working for the Council voted ‘Yes’ to taking strike action. So far the Council has failed to come close to agreeing to any one of these demands. One of our members has written and produced a music campaign video called “UNISON Army” which pretty much sums up the mood of our members take a look https://youtu.be/9AcYT2YTFLE ”

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.

Barnet has branded this final phase as the ‘Commissioning Council’.

On 3 March 2015 Barnet Council agreed its next Five Commissioning Plans all of which are looking at ‘Alternative Delivery Models’, jargon for working for a different employer.

The Council Services now at risk of outsourcing are:

· Early Years – 13 Children’s Centres

· Library Services

· Adults & Communities services

· Street Scene Services e.g. Waste & Recycling, Street Cleansing, Parks and Transport

· Education & Skills and School Meals services.

2. Disappearing Council – short animation https://youtu.be/YQ5t63fSu-s

3. “The easyCouncil Loco-motion” https://youtu.be/Wi0bdgofsmM

 

“We leave no members behind”

This is a commitment I am finding myself increasingly saying in meetings with members who work for a number of different employers. Whether it is our council housing repairs workers who work for Mears or members working for Capita, NSL, Barnet Council, Barnet Homes, Your Choice Barnet, Barnet College, we are all facing attacks both in the workplace but at home and in our communities as a direct result of austerity.

Austerity is responsible for our terms and conditions being attacked and that there have been no pay awards to address the increasing cost of living.

Austerity has made housing a major issue not just for our members in terms of cost but for our children who cannot afford to leave home.

What is clear, is that we cannot fight for each struggle alone, we need to support each other.

This Saturday 12 September we have organised Kids4Libraries march. The main march begins outside Church End Library and it is going to be big and it is going to be fun.

• “In the Thick of it” actor Rebecca Front and children’s author Alan Gibbons will be on the march.
• Durham Miners are coming to join the march
• Lesbian and Gay Support the Miners are bringing their banner to the march.
• London Metropolitan Band are leading the march.
• Open Top Red Bus decorated and available for those who are unable to march.
• Trade Union branches and community campaigns will be there.

However, more importantly it is about all Barnet UNISON members pulling together and in this case in support and solidarity for Library workers.

One of the proposals is to reduce staff by 65%!

I do not think it is right that we leave Library workers behind to fight this alone.

This is why our branch is calling on all of our members to spare a few hours this Saturday to come down and show solidarity for our fellow UNISON members.

Venue: Church End Library (5 minutes from Finchley Central Tube station).

Time: Assemble from 11 am.

See you there

John Burgess

Branch Secretary

 

Barnet UNISON