Month: October 2014

UNISON members: 5 reasons to go on strike 14 October

Uncategorised

UNISON members: 5 reasons to go on strike

 

1. You can’t afford another pay and pension cut

The current government offer leaves most workers with pay worth almost 20% less than in 2010. Falling pay also means loss of pension for the rest of your life.

2. You are worth fair pay for the work you do

Your pay and conditions are the worst in the public sector – from top to bottom.

3. Taking another pay cut won’t save jobs and services

Despite a pay freeze, jobs have gone and services continue to be stripped to the bone, privatised or stopped all together. There’s no reason to believe a pay cut will stop this.

4. All this will continue unless we act now

Low pay is bad for workers and bad for the economy. That’s why politicians from all parties are calling for an end to low pay. Many local government workers rely on benefits to pay bills. Right now, the taxpayer is subsidising local government to pay poverty wages.

5. Our claim for a minimum of £1 more an hour for all is affordable

Paying all local government workers a living wage will boost Treasury coffers by around £0.9bn every year from increased tax and national insurance take – shifting many off in-work benefits and reducing the bill to taxpayers.

Capita Re – redundancy consultation in Highways Services

Local

On Monday 8 September 2014 UNISON members working for Capita Re Highways section were informed that statutory redundancy consultation would commence on 10 September 2014. Capita Re have carried out a review of the Highways function against the output specification that forms part of the contract with the London borough of Barnet.

The proposal was that they can make efficiencies by changing work practices and use of technology alongside the need to reduce costs circa £65k with a reduction in the Highways fee by Barnet Council as from July 2014.

Capita Re currently employs 284 staff.

The current staffing establishment for Highways is 23 staff and all of them have been issued at risk of redundancy letters.

The proposal seeks to make 10 redundancies and create six new posts. However, the six new posts are not redeployment opportunities for the staff at risk.

Over the past few weeks meetings have been taking place with staff as they are having to go through an interview selection process.

UNISON has requested some detailed financial information about the proposed shortfall in funding and expressed concern about the ability of the service to deliver the service with reduced numbers of staff.

UNISON members have expressed concern and disappointment that when Barnet Council Cabinet Committee agreed to the award the DRS contract to Capita on Monday 24 June 2013 they did so in the knowledge that this was a contract which would grow and there would not be any redundancies.

As members have pointed out in Table 7.1 DRS Staff Numbers

of the report the Highways Teams are down to increase not decrease.

Update

Last week the Trade Unions were informed that Capita Re would be extending the consultation period. The reason being Capita Re had been summoned to attend the Environment Committee members briefing on 2 October at 7 pm Hendon Town Hall.

UNISON will be attending the above meeting in order to find out if there are any proposals which may mean the redundancy proposals will be withdrawn.

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