Barnet workers to ballot on strike unless council settles holiday pay

Barnet, 5 November 2026

Barnet’s bin, recycling and street cleansing workers will be balloted for strike action from 11 November, but their union says the council can still avoid it by making a fair offer.

For twelve years, while Capita ran the council’s payroll, staff who regularly worked overtime received holiday pay that did not include it. This is back pay for work already done, not a pay claim. The error was put right when payroll moved to a new provider in 2025.

UNISON has tried to settle this by negotiation. Workers proposed a six-year settlement, paid in instalments, and accepted they would not recover the full twelve years. The council rejected it and has restated an offer of 18 months. UNISON believes the talks have been too adversarial. At a time when the Prime Minister is calling for a more cooperative approach between employers and unions, we would like Barnet to show the same willingness to find a solution.

Capita is no longer in Barnet, but its legacy still affects staff, and potentially residents. The company’s problems with the Civil Service Pension Scheme, where retired workers waited months for payments, show how costly its failures can be for the people on the receiving end.

Many of these workers are on low pay and struggling with the cost of living. They cannot afford to write off what they are owed.

Dennis Moses, UNISON Street Scene Convenor, said: “We would much rather settle this round a table than on a picket line. My members have already compromised. We’re asking the council to meet us in the middle, put a fair offer on the table and fix the problem before Christmas.”

The ballot closes on 9 December. No strike dates have been set.

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