Category: UNISON Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Barnet UNISON confirm dates of first wave of strike action

Following the announcement last week that 87% of UNISON members working for Barnet “easyCouncil” voted YES  to strike action a consultation with our reps and members has produced a timetable for strike action starting with two days of strike action on:  

Thursday 30 April and Friday 1 May.

The Trades Dispute with London Borough of Barnet is over staff remaining in employment with Barnet Council. The dispute will involve a range of of workers for example coach escorts, drivers, social workers, occucpational therpaists, Library workers, children & family centre workers, street cleaning & refuse workers, all of whom have made it clear they want to remain employees of the Council.

UNISON Branch Secretary John Burgess said: This dispute is all about how strongly our members feel about wanting to remain Council employees. They don’t want to work for big multi nationals who will quickly dump the staff to another contractor if they are not making enough profit which appears to be happening to 3,000 workers in Staffordshire. They don’t want to work for a company that won’t pay the London Living Wage. They don’t want to work for a company that uses zero hours contracts. They don’t want to work for a company that will take jobs out of the community they serve. They want to to work for Barnet Council and remain directly accountable to the residents of Barnet. One of our members has written and produced a music campaign video called “The easyCouncil Loco-motion” which pretty much sums up the mood of our members take a look here https://youtu.be/Wi0bdgofsmM

Notes to Editors.

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

Background:

1. Union officer ‘flabbergasted’ by 3,000 jobs transfer

http://www.staffordshirenewsletter.co.uk/Union-officer-flabbergasted-3-000-jobs-transfer/story-26303114-detail/story.html

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

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

Third Leg of ‘Grand Tour of Barnet Libraries’ kicks off Saturday 25 April 11 am Chipping Barnet Library

London Metropolitan Brass Band will be providing entertainment between 11- 11.30 am then marching part of the route.

The march is from Chipping Barnet to Osidge Library via East Barnet Library.

To view route click here

To view poster click here

To view flyer click here

Barnet UNISON Press Release: 8 April 2015 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 87% of UNISON members working for Barnet “easyCouncil” vote YES  to strike action.

The Trades Dispute with London Borough of Barnet is over staff remaining in employment with Barnet Council. The strike ballot is a direct response to the five commissioning projects agreed at the 3 March 2015 Full Council meeting which would mean outsourcing the majority of the workforce into a variety of alternative delivery models.

1. Education & Skills and School Meals services

2. Library Service

3. Early Years: Children’s Centres

4. Adult Social Care

5. Street Scene Services

The Education & Skills and School Meals services is already in Competitive Dialogue discussions with the following contractors:

· Capita Business Services Ltd

· EC Harris LLP

· Mott MacDonald Ltd, trading as Cambridge Education

Looking at Capita’s track record http://www.capita.co.uk/who-we-are/our-history.aspx in bidding and winning contracts it is highly likely they will win this contract making it the third big contract they will have won with Barnet Council.

UNISON Branch Secretary John Burgess said: The vote was never in doubt. The workforce in Barnet is amazing and resilient. The vote confirms that that our members have had enough of the ideological obsession with outsourcing. The Council does not value the workforce which can be seen when unpaid overtime and long hours are never recognised when putting together bids for outsourcing projects. The fact that the Council refuses to run in-house comparators has made it clear to our members that their future employment with the Council is threatened.

Notes to Editors.

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

Background:

1. ‘The revival of easyCouncil’: Barnet Borough Council to roll out premium planning service

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/11879187._The_revival_of_easyCouncil___Barnet_to_roll_out_premium_planning_service/

2. Barnet’s ‘easyCouncil’ to part privatise planning service

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/feb/18/barnet-easycouncil-privatise-planning

3. “Easy council” scandal puts Town Hall outsourcing reforms in the spotlight

http://www.theguardian.com/society/patrick-butler-cuts-blog/2011/jun/17/barnet-easy-council-scandal-puts-reforms-in-spotlight

4. Mr easyCouncil defends his local government model

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/feb/03/mike-freer-easycouncil-interview

5. Barnet ‘easyCouncil’ privatisation challenged in high court

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/mar/19/barnet-council-high-court-budget-cuts

6. Barnet’s ‘easyCouncil’ plan unravels as more Tories oppose cuts and privatising

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/nov/15/barnet-services-outsourcing-tories-row

7. From Easycouncil to Capitaville: Mike Freer and the One Barnet story

http://wwwbrokenbarnet.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/from-easycouncil-to-capitaville-mike.html

8. Barnet’s ‘easyCouncil’ finds it hard to cut with £1.5m spent, £1.4m saved

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/oct/26/barnet-no-frills-council-overspends?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

9. Barnet ‘easyCouncil’ project lacks proper business plan, audit finds

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/sep/23/barnet-easycouncil-costcutting-plan-criticised

10. Barnet’s ‘easyCouncil’ faces judicial review over outsourcing

 

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/jan/22/tory-council-challenge-high-court

Second Leg of ‘Grand Tour of Barnet Libraries’ kicks off Saturday 11 April 11 am Hendon Library

Get ready to march with us on Sat 11 April at 11 am Hendon Town Hall

Details of the route here

Details of the flyer here

In Barnet over the past 6 years there has been some major changes to Council services. Here are 100 links to a variety of video clips, short films, songs and animations.

1. Barnet: The Disappearing Council – full version

https://youtu.be/YQ5t63fSu-s

2. Welcome to the Disappearing Council

https://youtu.be/XMSjyr5OL64

3. Save Barnet Libraries campaign gets a Bollywood makeover

https://youtu.be/Xt1RzsOerMo

4. Barneto : The Emperors New Clothes

https://youtu.be/hFK07Vu-Ti4

5. Disappearing Council the movie

https://youtu.be/P8sT5JVNWwE

To view complete list click here

“Save Barnet Libraries goes all Bollywood”

Save Barnet Libraries campaign gets a Bollywood makeover https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt1RzsOerMo&feature=youtu.be

Saturday 28 March saw the beginning of the Grand Tour of Barnet Libraries.

Nicole Burstein, author of Othergirl (young adult novel) and lifelong member of Edgware Library spoke of her love and inspiration of her local Library.

The march then took off to Burnt Oak and Mill Hill Library.

11 March meet outside Hendon Library for 11 am.

Details of speakers at the next three gigs are below.

11 April: Caroline Green, Dark Ride, Cracks, Hold Your Breath, Fragments (young adult novels)

25 April: Alec Worley, sci-fi comics, graphic novel Age of the Wolf, Mike Carey, sci-fi comics and novels

9 May: Children’s book authors: Linda Nissen Samuels, Alan Gibbons, Angela Kanter

· Flyer for the march here

· Watch short animation here

Save Barnet Libraries Tour kicks off tomorrow

Cartoon by Ros Asquith

The grand tour of Barnet Libraries kicks off in Edgware tomorrow morning.

There is an impressive line-up of speakers for the Tour

Speakers

28 March: Nicole Burstein, author of Othergirl (young adult novel)

11 April: Caroline Green, Dark Ride, Cracks, Hold Your Breath, Fragments (young adult novels)

25 April: Alec Worley, sci-fi comics, graphic novel Age of the Wolf, Mike Carey, sci-fi comics and novels

9 May: Children’s book authors: Linda Nissen Samuels, Alan Gibbons, Angela Kanter

Messages of support so far from:

Cartoonist Ros Asquith, Claudia Roden, and Nicola Solomon (Chief Executive of the Society of Authors).

Flyer for the march here

Route of the first march from Edgware here

Watch short animation about Barnet here

Barnet UNISON Press Release:  24 March 2015 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: YCB care workers now out for 3 days!

YCB made a cut of 9.5% of the workers’ wages in order to save £400,000. YCB has now offered the workforce £40,000 as a one-off payment. This is less than £400 per head of staff. Staff in Supported Living – the service area which attracted such a poor inspection rating are losing around £400 per month from this pay cut and loss of their weekend allowances and shift enhancements.

Our members gave this some consideration but were very underwhelmed by the offer.

Earlier today Radio Four listeners heard about the appalling practices adopted by

“It gives a breakdown of unpaid travel time for 44 members of staff in the Penarth branch for the week starting 22nd September 2014, and estimates they could be owed as much as £80,000 over three years.**

http://www.corporatewatch.org/care-company-mihomecare-mitie-staff-minimum-wage

What is happening in the care sector is exploitation of the worse kind on both the staff and those needing their services.

This is a direct result of privatisation of care services.

As a result of this story Councils will be responding to questions as to whether they use this provider and if so how have they been monitoring them.

On Wednesday 25 March Barnet care workers working for Your Choice Barnet (YCB) begin a series of three days of strike action in response to a 9.5% pay cut imposed by their employer last year.

The strikers are fighting the cut and what they see as a danger to the quality of future services.

Picket lines will run from 7.30am at:

Flower Lane Day Centre
41 Flower Lane
Barnet
London NW7 2JN 

Rosa Morrison Day Centre

83 Gloucester Road
Totteridge
Barnet
London EN5 1NA

UNISON Branch Secretary John Burgess said:

“Still Barnet Council is refusing to be a part of the negotiations on a business which it owns100%. We view this as neglectful with respect to the workforce and the service users.”

Notes to Editors.

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

Background:

In February 2012 Barnet Council transferred Learning Disability and Physical and Sensory Impairment services for adults to a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) called Your Choice Barnet (YCB). About 160 staff (145.6 Full Time Equivalents) in Adults services transferred to the LATC.

Following a restructure in 2013 and cuts to pay on shift allowances there are now only about 105 FTE working for YCB a 30% cut in staffing levels.

Links

1. CQC Report Supported Living inspection report here http://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-112848964

2. CQC report with highlights by Barnet UNISON here http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/Barnet%20Supported%20Living%20inspection%20report%202014%20UNISON.pdf

3. Winterbourne quote: “The complaints heard at both the first inquiry and this one testified not only to inadequate staffing levels, but poor leadership, recruitment and training. This led in turn to a declining professionalism and a tolerance of poor standards.” (Page 45, Report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry February 2013 Executive summary).

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/213215/final-report.pdf

4. UNISON response to Consultation Paper 31 May 2013

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/Full%20UNISON%20response%20to%20YOUR%20CHOICE%20May%202013.pdf

5. UNISON response to Task and Finish Report 25 November 2013

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/UNISON%20response%20to%20Task%20and%20Finish%20Report.pdf

6. “I Found Myself Just Crying” – Your Choice Barnet

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1263

7. Why UNISON Your Choice Barnet Care Workers are taking strike action.

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/2015.01.15.%20YCB%20FLYER%20PUBLIC.pdf

8. UNISON Your Choice Barnet Care Workers “9 Point Flyer

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/2015.01.15.%20STRIKE%20YCB%20FLYER%20nine%20point.pdf

9. Support UNISON Your Choice Barnet Care Workers strike action video

http://youtu.be/9jVXn6_BcVY

10. The Capita £110million payment

http://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s21029/Appendix%20I%20-%20Capita%20Payments.pdf

11. Your Choice – in built pension burden creates artificial loss to justify pay cut http://lbbspending.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/nochoice.html

12. Sign Petition to Stop the ongoing destruction of services for adults with disabilities in Barnet

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-ongoing-destruction-of-services-for-adults-with-disabilities-in-barnet