Barnet UNISON condemns “back door privatisation” of Passenger Escort service and escalates dispute to meeting with Chief Executive

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Barnet UNISON condemns “back door privatisation” of Passenger Escort service and escalates dispute to meeting with Chief Executive

Barnet UNISON has escalated its concerns about the future of Passenger Escorts at Barnet Council after formally registering a failure to agree with management.

The union says the Council has been cutting directly employed Passenger Assistant posts and using external provision instead, without proper transparency or meaningful consultation with UNISON.

Management have confirmed that vacancies were not being refilled and that part of the service requirement was being met through externally commissioned Passenger Assistants. Barnet UNISON says this amounts to back door privatisation of a vital frontline service supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

The union has now referred the matter to the Joint Negotiation and Consultation Group, where it will be raised with the Chief Executive.

A Barnet UNISON spokesperson said:

“We have had enough outsourcing in Barnet. We are opposed to back door privatisation and we do not accept low-paid women being made to carry the burden of yet more austerity and hardship.

This is happening in the middle of the worst cost of living crisis in a lifetime, in one of the most expensive cities in the world. It is wrong.

Passenger Escorts do difficult, responsible and essential work supporting children with special needs. They deserve decent pay, decent terms and conditions, access to a pension, proper training, proper management support and the security of direct employment by the Council.

Barnet UNISON has formally escalated this matter to a meeting with the Chief Executive because council jobs should stay council jobs. We will not stand by while low-paid frontline services are hollowed out by stealth.”

Barnet UNISON is calling on Barnet Council to:

• provide a full and accurate breakdown of the current Passenger Assistant workforce across the service, including how many are directly employed by LBB, how many are agency, and how many are employed by contractors or commissioned providers
• stop any further erosion of directly employed Passenger Assistant posts
• begin recruiting Passenger Escorts directly to Barnet Council posts rather than relying on agency or external arrangements
• return Passenger Escorts to direct management under the Passenger Transport Service
• ensure Passenger Escorts have decent pay, decent terms and conditions, pension access, proper training and proper support to carry out this essential role

Barnet UNISON says the issue is not just about staffing numbers. It is about fairness, accountability and the future of public services in Barnet.

Ends

For media enquiries contact: contactus@barnetunison.org.uk