Barnet UNISON Press Release: “From hard working families to ‘scroungers’ – Capita redundancies

For Immediate Release: Monday 7 October 2013

Today Capita Plc announced it plans relocate Barnet Council services across the UK which will mean hundreds of jobs lost to the community of Barnet. The Capita proposal will seek to relocate services to Blackburn, Carlisle, Belfast and Sheffield to name but a few. Details of all the Capita relocations are contained within the recently released Capita contract and can be viewed here

Last November 2012 Capita Plc won this contract to deliver the following services Customer services; Finance; Human Resources; Procurement; Estates; Information Services; Revenue and Benefits; and Corporate Programmes. The transfer was supposed to take place on 1 April 2013, but was delayed due to the Judicial Review challenge made by Maria Nash, a Barnet resident.

Capita Plc took over control of the contract on 1 September 2013.

Over the next 90 days Capita Plc will be carrying out consultation with staff and trade unions. Details of their transformation plan can be found on the Council website here.

John Burgess, Barnet UNISON Branch Secretary, said: “We have all been dreading this day coming. Capita must have made a fortune already in terms of redundancy payment savings as a third of the work force have managed to escape to other councils in order to avoid being made redundant as their jobs are moved up north. I speak to staff working in these services on a daily basis I have known many of them for over ten years so it is going to be painful sitting in with them when the news is broken today. In the current economic climate I know our members are petrified of being made redundant. I wonder how long it will be before these hardworking staff are labelled as “scroungers”, soon to be unemployed simply because their jobs were exported out of London. Our branch is committed to trying to convince Capita to reconsider their proposals. Today we wrote to Capita asking them to work with staff and the trade unions to come up with a different solution which not only protects jobs in the community but looks to develop employment opportunities for residents in Barnet. ”

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

Links

1. Capita relocations of services can be found here http://www.barnet.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/3165/final_transformation_method_statement_mar2013_capita_redacted1pdf (see page 28 of 135 Transformation Method Statement 4th March 2013)

2. Capita CSG contract can be found here http://www.barnet.gov.uk/downloads/940431/customer_and_support_group_csg_formerly_nscso_contract

3. Barnet UNISON letter to Mark Wyllie Capita Partnership Director link here