Barnet UNISON

The following services and assets are down for auction to the lowest bidder.

You can see all the reports online here

• Planning Services
• Environmental Health Services
• Registry Service (Births, Deaths, Marriages & Citizenship)
• Hendon Cemetery and Crematorium
• Land Charges
• Highways Services including Road Safety
• Parking Services
• Allotments
• Adult Social Services (Day Care, Residential & Independent living services)

And the bidding starts at £……..?????

Last Thursday over two hundred six form students marched to the offices of MP Mike Freer last night in a protest over the decision to allow university tuition fees to rise. You can read the report online here.

The previous week a large delegation of students from Middlesex University travelled down to central London to protest about the university tuition fees increases.

The previous months a number of sheltered housing residents (average age 70 y/o) protested outside Hendon Town hall as they began their campaign to oppose the removal of their wardens.

Over the last two months Barnet residents have been running community stalls at the weekends and leafleting streets in Barnet opposing cuts & privatisation proposals.

On 23 September 250 residents and staff turned up at the launch of Barnet Alliance of Public Services

In the last six weeks almost 4,000 people have signed the Save our Libraries petition.

In the past few months 500 council staff attended two Lobbies at Hendon Town Hall

Is there something in the drinking water or are Barnet residents and staff finally waking up to the implications of the Spending Review?

A number of former Council Homecare workers with Housing 21 are in the process of being TUPE’d from Housing 21 to one of four private sector home care agencies for a one year contract only. In 2011 they are due to be TUPE’d again for a third time when Barnet Council reduces the number of provider agencies. 

Our members, some of whom have up to 20 years service to residents of Barnet, face an uncertain employment future through no fault of their own.

As a result of the reduction in size of the contract, 6 office staff including managers were made redundant.

This is more evidence of the detrimental impact of the ideological war that is being waged against public sector workers, resulting in continuing deterioration of their terms and conditions.

The Connaught Saga is I hope coming to an end. The issue about redundancy was resolved a long time hence and I am pleased to report that the new contractor Lovells has confirmed in writing that they will be seeking to have “Admitted Body Status” thus enabling these former council workers to remain in the Pension Scheme.

The only remaining issue which I have been attempting to resolve is the non–payment of overtime worked for Connaught’s throughout the summer. The new contractor Lovells took on responsibility from 1 September & any payments before this date had to be claimed from KPMG the liquidators for Connaught’s.

It is important to note that we are not talking about a relatively large sum of money for a big organisation. The amount in total owed to our members is less than £13,000. However the overtime payments due to our members does mean a lot to them and in light of the difficult times ahead every penny counts.

Our members wrote to KPMG. KPMG have written back explaining that they must go back to Lovells.

I will not let this matter drop until every worker has been paid.

On Tuesday 3 November the Trade Unions published a report entitled “Critique of the Development and Public Health Services Options Appraisal One Barnet Programme London Borough of Barnet” detailing serious and fundamental flaws with this project. The report was produced by Professor Dexter Whitfield, Director, European Services Strategy Unit with contributions from our members working in the services included in this project.

The reports states:

“The report contains many sweeping assumptions that are not supported by facts, empirical evidence or case study experience.”

“The Council has not obtained value for money from this consultancy contract on the basis of the scope and quality of the options appraisal.”

To read the full report click here

This is an excellent piece of work which I hope all UNISON branches will use to counter the propaganda that we must attack public services and those in need of public services

to view click here

Ex Barnet senior Manager Roger Jones now working for Ealing Council is in the process of bringing Highways Services back in-house. Multi national company Mouchel are currently providing the service but the contract comes to an end early next year.

The news that this service is returning in-house and can deliver savings of almost £1 million a year is clearly at odds with the anti in-house message staff are witnessing here in the Council.

Click here to read the Service Improvement Plan which went to Committee earlier this year.