Barnet UNISON

If there is one news story I would ask every UNISON to read then it is the story that broke earlier this week about a senior figure working for Goldman Sachs who had his resignation letter published in the New York Times. It is of massive interest is the connection of Goldman Sachs with a number of catastrophic financial failures including the Greek Debt crisis? At a time when we are told that we need to accept the deficit and accept less money, less services, more misery, it appears that the whole financial system has learnt nothing. Please find a number of high profile articles of the subject of Goldman Sachs and their connection with the Greek Debt Crisis.

1. TIME Magazine “ 7 Ways of Seeing Goldman Sachs”

The article in the TIME magazine see link below refers to another article by James Shaft of Reuters argues along similar lines, saying that financial markets don’t operate properly without strict regulation, and that pining for the days when banks took the long view misrepresents the past. It wasn’t because investment banks weren’t publicly traded or that bankers of 40 years ago had more scruples, he argues, but that heavy regulation prevented the kind of excesses that investment banks engage in now.

http://business.time.com/2012/03/16/is-goldman-sachs-guilty-of-nothing-more-than-hardnosed-capitalism/

2. “Goldman Sachs shares slump”

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2115794/Goldman-Sachs-shares-slump-amid-row-Greg-Smith-resignation.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

3. “Goldman Secret Greece Loan Shows Two Sinners as Client Unravels”

According to the article below Goldman Sachs appears to have used a clever financial instrument to disguise the Greek Governments growing debt burden

“As first reported in 2003, Goldman Sachs used a fictitious, historical exchange rate in the swaps to make about 2 percent of Greece’s debt disappear from its national accounts. To repay the 2.8 billion euros it borrowed from the bank, Greece entered into a separate swap contract tied to interest-rate swings.”

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-03-05/goldman-secret-greece-loan-shows-two-sinners-as-client-unravels

4. “Toxic bank Goldman”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/toxic-bank-goldman-sachs-web-763345

5. Goldman Sachs involved in the Greek debt crisis watch this YouTube clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07-hA9DW-Po

Questions:

“In light of this story breaking what should the Regulators do about Goldman Sachs?”

“Should those people who lost out as a result of Goldman Sachs advice now consider putting in a claim for losses from Goldman Sachs?”

Last night I attended a Barnet version of BBC Question time in Woodhouse College, I was on the panel responding to some excellent questions submitted by pupils form Barnet schools

1) Do you think the cuts to youth support services together with youth unemployment in Barnet doubling since 2008 will lead to further youth disengagement and a repeat of the summer riots?

2) Considering the fact that groups such as the Royal College of Nursing and the British Medical Association have withdrawn support for the Health Bill, do you think the Bill should still be pursued and why?

3) Do you think that Livingstone’s pledge to introduce a London EMA is necessary and feasible?

4) To what extent do you believe that reported proposals to privatise parts of the police services will obstruct the course of justice and lead to problems in the relationship between the state and the police?

5) Last week whilst travelling on a bus in Barnet I was attacked because of my postcode, do you think that this is a sign of increasing social tensions between young people and what do you think should be done to address issues of safety on public transport?

 6) With Barnet Council spending £4.6 million on CCTV between 2007 and 2011 – one of the top 10 local authority spenders on CCTV – do you think this is inappropriate in times of such austerity?

7) Considering recent tensions with regards to Baroness Warsi’s claims of ‘militant Atheists’ and a ‘Christian Britain’, do you agree that Michael Goves plan to send a copy of the King James’ Bible to every English school is a waste of money and out-dated? (If you had the opportunity to send one book to all schools in England what would it be?)

8) Considering the u-turns and broken promises that have occurred over the past two years – in particular those concerning tuition fees – do you think that the coalition is an effective and capable government?

At the end of the evening a pupil explained that there was a consistent theme emerging i.e. Budget cuts, privatisation of public services. He asked the panel

“Does this not spell the end of the Capitalist system?”

This is a question that should be on everyone’s lips. How can we carry on with the same financial system that refuses to be regulated and continues to reward banking bonus culture even when they are failing., whilst at the same time the majority of citizens are told to tighten our belts, work more for less and in some case lose your job.

At the same time it appears that Consultants are taking over the running of public services before handing them over to private sector companies who will drain public money to feed the avarice of the shareholders of those companies. If an when they are exposed, they intimidate public sector organisations with their big city lawyers threatening massive penalty pay outs if they dare to question the quality of the delivery of the contract.

This event was a well organised and professional, a tribute to those students who organised it and those students who took part in the event. I think it is safe to say that the future is NOT Orange but very challenging, but, I have confidence that things will have to change, so…..politicians beware!

 

Last week I attended a meeting with NSL, Barnet Council and RR Donnelly.

I want to deal with RR Donnelly first as none of our staff knew who they were. To do that I need to go back to the ‘Measures letter’ sent by NSL. The Measures letter identified a number of issues that would impact on our members currently providing parking services for Barnet Council.

One measure concerned the subcontracting of some of the back office services to a company called Parseq, whom we were told were based in Doncaster. Then suddenly a little over a few weeks ago we were told that things had changed and another company called RR Donnelly based in Bristol would now be taking over these services. UNISON has insisted that RR Donnelly turn up to the Tri-Partite meetings as they were going to be taking on 7 staff. At our meeting last week RR Donnelly explained that they were based in Brighton not Bristol.

We asked that RR Donnelly meet up with our members to talk to them about the TUPE transfer to their company. It was in these discussions that I discovered that RR Donnelly had not yet sought agreement from our Pension Fund Committee to secure admitted body status. They assured us that they had managed to secure this on other contracts. 1:1 meetings for staff are being arranged for staff with RR Donnelly and NSL, all UNISON members to contact the UNISON branch in order to secure representation.

NSL & 1:1 meetings.

Firstly for those members who have not yet had a 1:1 meeting, you don’t have to meet with NSL if you don’t want to. They are offering the meetings for those staff who want them. If you do decide to meet them please contact the branch to arrange representation.

No Bradford Factor!

 

At the last meeting with NSL they confirmed that they have decided not to use the Bradford Factor on the Barnet contract

 

Personal Data

I have been assured by HR that all staff understand what is and is not being handed over to NSL. If you are still unsure please contact your local rep. Remember, do not sign off anything until you have seen your file and have checked it is accurate.

 

NSL or LBB terms & Conditions

 

In discussions it has now been made clear that any staff that are at risk of redundancy will be offered redeployment on other NSL contracts. However, they will not transfer on their Council Terms & Conditions and that includes their Pension.

 

If someone is promoted on the Barnet contract, they will transfer to NSL Terms & Conditions, but they will maintain their membership in the Council Pension scheme.

 

New starters will be on NSL Terms & Conditions.

 

 

 

 

Issues to report back on such as

Parking ticket targets

Terms and Conditions

Bradford Factor

To view our report back to our members please click here

Barnet Council staff have had a visit from EC Harris & Capita Symonds, both of whom were shortlisted through to the next round for the £275 million Development & Regulatory Services (DRS).

Both bidders delivered a presentation to staff and will now be going in confidential discussions with the Council.

In the meantime there have been smaller scale One Barnet outsourcing taking place across the Council. Our branch is currently supporting members who are facing the daunting prospect of being handed a ‘at risk of redundancy’ letters in the first week of their TUPE transfer. In pre-consultation discussions UNISON has learnt that some Council jobs being TUPED to the contractor are  immediately going to be handed over to another subcontractor, all before the contract has even started!

What is really upsetting staff is that senior managers have known about this, months ago!

Any way UNISON members working across DRS services are going to meet up for lunch on Wednesday 14 March to evaluate the presentations delivered by EC Harris and Capita Symonds.

Key message to the Bidders from members – ‘Sign up to TUPE Plus’

TUPE Plus can be viewed here

Over the last few weeks I have attended a number of TUPE meetings with contractors (Barnet Homes and NSL) and tow briefing sessions with EC Harris and Capita Symonds who are bidding for the DRS contract.

A common theme is emerging from these discussions, TUPE. In every meeting I have attended the contractors have been at pains to point out that they will honour TUPE not just for 12 months but for the life of the contract, something which was a key issue in TUPE plus.

Barnet Council rejected TUPE Plus and offered TUPE Commitments instead. However the TUPE commitments are rapidly proving to be, in the words of a UNISON member facing a TUPE transfer ‘not worth the paper there are written on’ a view which was overwhelming supported at the UNISON AGM last week.

We will be asking all of the Bidders to back up their statements and sign up to TUPE PLUS and have put up the details on our web site here

All school based members should re-check they are paid at the correct level and have the correct holiday entitlement.

It is UNISON’s view that the best solution is an increase in the weeks paid formula once you have reached 5 years service i.e. 40- 41 weeks thus providing pay for the extra weeks holiday. And ensuring that the inset training remains remain available for all.

Term Time only  staff pay formula.

The salary formula for term time only  staff includes an allowance for Bank Holidays and annual leave (hence working 5 days less after 5 years service) and is:

Annual salary ÷ 1728 hours x hours worked per week x weeks employed per annum.

This formula was devised pre 1988 on the following basis:

‘As a term time only employee you receive an enhanced rate of pay which includes payment in lieu of annual leave, equivalent to twenty days (4 weeks).  This is done by reducing the working year – 1872 hours (36 hours x 52 weeks) by 144 hours (36 hours x 4 weeks).  Thus you are paid 1/1728th of the full time annual salary for each hour worked.

There are 190 school days in any school year.  As a ‘term time only’ employee initially you will be appointed for between 37 and 44 weeks in any year and you will be required to work XX weeks per annum less 5 days if less than 5 yea

With less than 5 years service 5 day leave with pay is granted on 3 days for Bank Holidays and 2 days in respect of the New Technology Agreement.

Employees with 5 years continuous local government service are entitled to an additional 5 days annual leave and so work 5 days less per annum.’

                                                                                    Extract from Statement of Employment

                                                                                                                Particulars issued to term time only staff

Term time only staff can be employed between 37 and 44 weeks. As outlined above, If employed on a 40 week contract they are paid for 200 days. Staff with less than 5 years service are required to work 195 days, 190 of which are pupil days which allows HT’s to allocate a further 5 days which could be and often is for training / inset days.

Staff contracted to work 40 weeks that have 5 years service or more are only required to work 190 days. They will therefore be entitled to additional payments if required to attend the training / inset days. Alternatively HT could increase their contractual pay to 41 weeks, give time off in lieu or pay additional hours.

Most important thing to remember is that staff will always work five days less than they are contracted/paid to work and then after 5 years continuous local government service then that will alter to 10 days less.

Term time only staff are paid in 12 equal monthly instalments.  

A SENIOR councillor has apologised after it was revealed that council workers who are outsourced to private firms could be made redundant almost immediately.

Staff from the Barnet Council’s housing department could be handed at risk of redundancy notices the moment their contracts are transferred to arms-length management organisation Barnet Homes, as part of the council’s controversial One Barnet outsourcing programme – despite the insistence in February from deputy leader and cabinet member for policy and performance Daniel Thomas that their jobs would be safe for at least a year.

Branch secretary for Unison John Burgess, told The Press that in meetings with Barnet Homes he had learned that an unspecified number of the 76 front-line and back-room staff could be issued with compulsory redundancy notices as soon as they move to the ALMO on April 2. He added that existing Barnet Homes staff were also facing redundancy as a result of the transfer.

The transfer of housing services to Barnet Homes is one of the first in a raft of council services due to be outsourced during the One Barnet programme, which the council claims will deliver better services for less money.

On February 9 Mr Thomas was quoted in The Press criticising staff striking over the plans, and denied claims that jobs were at risk.

He originally said: “Any staff who move as part of the restructure will remain in local government pension scheme, keep the same level of pay and have a job guaranteed for 12 months at the very least from their move.”

Mr Burgess said that many staff no longer felt they could trust the council’s promises on One Barnet.

“People are very uneasy that the council is making all these commitments that apparently mean nothing,” he said.

“A lot will be said before you are outsourced and then the moment before you’re outsourced it will change.”

Read the rest of the report here