FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 81% of Barnet Council workforce to be outsourced!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 81% of Barnet Council workforce to be outsourced!
Barnet UNISON Press Release: 18 November 2014
Later this week the Environment & Adults Safeguarding Committee are due vote on decisions to begin the process of outsourcing Council staff working in Street Scene (refuse & recycling, street cleansing, parks etc) and Adult Social Care (social workers).
These decisions follow earlier Committee meetings which also recommended outsourcing.
The numbers of staff to be outsourced are as follows:
· Street Scene 478.42 posts.
· Adult Social Care 362.75
· Education & Catering 336
· Early Years Children’s Centres 170
· Library Service 150
Full details of Barnet Council Committee decisions can be found in our latest report here.
John Burgess UNISON Branch Secretary said: “We have already been through massive changes with a third of the Council staff outsourced under the One Barnet Programme (1371). BUT this latest set of proposals is going to hit staff particularly hard and will have a detrimental effect on the ability of Barnet Council to recruit new staff.
If all of the above services are outsourced the Council will have outsourced 2878 staff leaving behind a small cohort of 332 staff. Our branch has unfortunately had to deal with a lot of outsourcing in the past two years and in almost all cases it has meant cuts & redundancies for the staff transferring and led to the emergence of a two- tier workforce. In response to this shocking news we have organised a public meeting on 26 November at the Greek Cypriot Centre, North Finchley to discuss the implications for our members and council services.”
End.
Notes to Editors.
Contact details: John Burgess Barnet UNISON on 07738389569 or 0208 359 2088 or email: john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk
Background:
Between January 2012 and October 2013 Barnet Council outsourced the following services:
Adult Social care, Parking services, Legal services, Customer Services, Estates, Finance, Human Resources and Payroll, IT Infrastructure and Support, Procurement, Revenues and Benefits, Commercial Services, Housing Options, Building Control, Planning Administration (Development Management),Strategic Planning and Regeneration, Transport, Highways Services, Land Charges, Environmental Health, Trading Standards and Licensing, Cemetery and Crematorium, Barnet Registration and Nationality Service.
In September 2012 Barnet Council employed 3,200 staff (excluding maintained school staff)
In September 2014 Barnet Council employs 1829.71 staff (excluding maintained school staff)
Links:
1. 81% of Barnet staff facing outsourcing an Update on the “Disappearing Council”
http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/2014.11.14%20DisappearingCouncil.pdf
2. Barnet libraries threatened with closure as council earmarks £2.8m cuts
3. 26 November 2014 public meeting http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/26%20November%202014%20Public%20meeting.pdf