Barnet UNISON submission to Barnet Council about #Coronavirus

The follow proposals have been submitted to Barnet Council today.

The following applies to all Barnet Council workers (Barnet Council workers includes all staff working in Barnet Community Schools.) during the period of the current #Coronavirus Pandemic.

• All sickness absence monitoring to cease.

• Full sick pay to be paid to all staff regardless of length of service or where their entitlement has reduced or expired.

• No reduction in pay for staff who are self-isolating or caring for someone who is at risk.

• No reduction in pay for any worker having to take time away to look after their children.

• No redundancy consultations.

• All restructures to go on hold.

• Disciplinaries where no risk to life and limb or others to be postponed.

• All other grievances/disciplinaries/capabilities/and Appeals to only go ahead on a case by case basis in agreement with the trade unions.

• For those workers who would be considered to be vulnerable to Coronavirus e.g. workers over 60 and those with underlying health conditions are to be allowed to self-isolate and/or work from home if they so wish.

• Barnet Council to seek information from their workforce as to what skills, expertise they can volunteer in order to assist the Council to be able to redirect resources to socially useful activities and offer training.

• Any worker volunteering to work at a higher grade will be paid at that rate.

• No worker will suffer a financial detriment from volunteering.

• Communication to go out on a daily basis giving clear guidance about what the Council is doing across all services. This communication should go out in a number of formats e.g. Email, flyers, Council website (not just intranet). This communication will be done in such a way as to demonstrate we understand the workforce will be the ones passing on information about the Council’s response and can play a useful role in carrying out and reinforcing these messages.

• Business continuity meetings to include representatives from the trade unions.

• Urgent reviews/risk assessments to be carried out with the involvement and collaboration of all staff to determine what work must be done and what can be done differently or postponed in order to reduce unneccesary contact with public e.g. telephone assessments instead of face to face meetings.

• Provision of counselling services for all staff to be promoted in all future communication in order to look after the mental wellbeing of the workforce

• To ensure adequate supplies for handwashing is provided for mobile workers.

• End hot desking.

• Where possible allow workers to vary working hours to reduce risk of infection on congested public transport.

• Bring the outsourced cleaning services back in-house.

Contractors

Barnet Council to seek confirmation from all contractors whose staff work alongside Barnet Council workers that they are also providing full pay for their staff who are off sick or self-isolating or needing to look after children.

Agency

Barnet Council to seek confirmation from all agency organisations supplying staff to work alongside Barnet Council workers that they are also providing full pay for their staff who are off sick or self-isolating or needing to look after children.