Barnet Council announce plans to strike break.

Below is an email which was sent at 16.48 pm Friday 17 May 2024 to all staff working across the Adult Social Care Directorate. UNISON comments are in bold.

“Dear colleagues,

I am writing to update you on the council’s proposals for a recruitment and retention payment for social workers and occupational therapists in adult social care and the current strike action being taken by a number of Barnet Unison members in three out of our six mental health teams.

The council has proposed offering a 5% recruitment and retention payment for qualified social workers, occupational therapists, and lead practitioners across adult social care.

The proposal also includes a £1,000 recruitment and retention payment for team managers of the social work and occupational therapy teams.

In all previous meetings you have been insistent that you could not have two tier payments across Adult Social Care. Your responses were that there was no evidence that could support mental health social workers receiving a higher rate than other staff across Adult Social Care. In this email you have changed your position by offering a different payment to team managers of the social work and occupational therapy teams.

“What objective criteria have you seen that has led you to change your offer from 5% to £1k?”

This has been rejected by Unison who want a 10% recruitment and retention payment for qualified social workers in the three striking mental health teams only.

Not true. We have rejected 5% for mental health social workers. The decision about payments to other staff is solely down to Barnet Council. It is their decision. It is shameful that Barnet Council are using this communication to gaslight mental health social workers as if they had the power to whether to make a payment to their work colleagues.

They have not requested additional payments for any other staff.

Not true. In all meetings and emails about the wider payment UNISON has been clear that this is a decision for the Council to make. UNISON does not have a dispute about a wider payment.

Our benchmarking shows that we pay competitively compared to other outer-London boroughs and will do so even more with this proposed new payment. Different arrangements exist across London for remuneration of AMHPs and the Barnet pay offer is very competitive. Having looked at councils across London offering recruitment and retention payments for adult social care, they all pay this equally across all teams, with the exception of one borough that offers a recruitment and retention payment to occupational therapists only.

We are of the view that our offer of a 5% recruitment and retention payment is fair and reasonable given the market benchmarking and that under our recruitment and retention policy it is only justifiable to make the offer to all adult social workers and occupational therapists.

A 10% increase in pay is not justifiable and is simply not sustainable. It will put more financial pressure on the services we offer our residents and – given the challenging financial position we find ourselves in – on the adult social care and council budget.

The current industrial action significantly reduces our ability to respond to residents’ requests for support with their mental health, and we have been unable to reach agreement with Unison on minimum staffing levels to ensure we can deliver a safe service to residents.

Not true. Two hours before this email was sent to all staff UNISON responded in an email where we said: “Finally, I need to advise you that UNISON will not suspend the action, but I can confirm we are available to meet and discuss your service concerns. It would help if you had someone in the meeting who has experience of running mental health services.”

 

We have asked Unison to suspend their industrial action so we can agree minimum staffing levels to ensure a safe service. But, given our statutory responsibilities in this area, we have come to the point where we are looking to hire an external provider to ensure we can maintain a safe, minimum level of service to residents throughout the strike. Our assessment is that additional resource will be needed imminently to manage this risk and to enable the council to effectively respond to urgent referrals in a reasonable timeframe. As such, we are in the process of procuring a duty service from a third-party organisation for a period of 10 weeks. The duty provider will screen all incoming work, triage cases and respond to the most urgent referrals.

 

Strike breaking: Barnet Council are using agency workers to carry out roles that our members would be carrying out if they were not on strike. This is the second attempt by Barnet Council to use agency workers to break the strike. Instead of wasting money on agency workers they should be settling this dispute.

 

I want to be clear that this is not the provision of agency staff and is an entirely legal mitigation for the council to take. We respect the right of staff to strike but we have now reached the point where we feel this action is necessary to protect residents and to ensure we fulfil our statutory responsibilities.

 

No this is strike breaking. The use of agency workers is being used deliberately by Barnet Council to undermine a fundamental right which protected as such under Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights (the freedom of assembly and association).

 

I would like to end by saying we appreciate the work our mental health social workers work do in a challenging environment – as well as that of all our other teams – and we hope we can swiftly resolve the dispute and focus on continuing to strengthen our services.

 

This message is disingenuous. Dawn has not attended any of the negotiating meetings. If they want to settle, then decision makers should be in these meetings. What has been deeply troubling has been that no one with experience of working in mental health social work has been present in any of the Acas talks or local negotiating meetings. In the last negotiating meeting UNISON asked that in future could the decision maker attend these meetings alongside someone with experience of working in mental health social work.

Kind regards,

Dawn

 

***Updated: Monday 20 May 2024. UNISON received an email asking if we would release one of our strikers to cover AMHP duty this morning ask they had no one to cover because of sickness. UNISON agreed release. However, if Barnet Council continue with their current policy of refusing to acknowledge the growing recruitment and retention crisis there will be less than two AMPHs in these teams which is simply not safe or sustainable going forward.

 

 

 

 

Barnet resident writes to Adults and Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee

“Dear Councillors,

I am writing to you as members of the Adults and Health Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee.  You have a duty to ‘scrutinise the Health and Social Care Infrastructure and Services’ and in this regard I am writing to ask you URGENTLY address the ongoing crisis in the Mental Health Social Work Service.

It appears that despite our Mental Health Social Workers now being on strike for an unprecedented total of 72 days, I am appalled to note that your committee has not had a report or a discussion on the issue, when it is your responsibility as our elected representatives to ensure any Barnet service is safe and effective.

 

Mental Health Social workers are as highly trained and skilled as social workers in other departments and I would argue can carry higher risks and yet are NOT paid at the same rate as other Barnet Social Workers. The Barnet Mental Health Service is loosing social work staff as I write. Inexperienced staff and managers now have to run the service. Morale is rock bottom.  Waiting lists are unacceptably long. The reputation of Barnet as an employer is being damaged probably beyond repair. The strike is gaining support across the country and has been raised in Parliament as workers take this difficult and painful stand to protect the most vulnerable and marginalised.  Why would anyone want to work here?

I understand that the money is available to settle this dispute. Your committee needs to question why it is still dragging on, apparently without member involvement, and to whose benefit, and to require an immediate resolution. Perpetuating this dispute is certainly not in the interests of the staff, the clients and residents or the reputation of a Labour led London Borough.

Most alarmingly it appears that the young man who attacked and killed Anita Mukhey in Burnt Oak Broadway last Thursday, as reported by national and local press, may have had mental health issues.

Seven more weeks of strike action are planned, yet this dispute could be solved tomorrow with no impact to the budget.  How much more risk are you prepared to take?

Yours sincerely

A Barnet resident.”

End.

10,000 newspapers delivered another 10,000 on the way

Dear Supporters

We have managed to hand out 10,000 Barnet Voice newspapers across Barnet.

We are now awaiting delivery of another 10,000 newspapers. The Borough of Barnet is one of the largest in London and we have a massive task to try and share our newspaper with Barnet residents.

Today, we informed Barnet Council that our social workers are not going back to work on 3 June as we have notified them of another two weeks of strike action. This means our mental health social workers will be on strike for nine weeks solid (13 May to 12 July).

Our members don’t want to go on strike, but they have witnessed a mass exodus of staff (21 social workers), and it is getting worse, a further two social workers have handed in their notice and two of the most experienced are leaving for the NHS later this month, making a total of 25 social workers leaving these teams in 22 months. The remaining strikers are determined to try and win this dispute for the service users and the wellbeing of the staff who were already under serious stress die to the Tories underfunding of mental health services.

Going forward we are spending more time out in the community delivering our newspapers. We have a full picket line on Tues/Weds only and the rest of the time we are handing out the newspapers.

If you want to help the campaign, please email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk if you would like to collect the newspapers and deliver them in Barnet.

 

Solidarity

Barnet UNISON.

Mental Health social worker strike: “Why have talks broken down?”

 

 

Dear Barnet UNISON member

I am writing to all our members working for Barnet Council in answer to the question everyone is asking “Why has Barnet Council not reached an agreement over the mental health social worker dispute?”

The first point to make is that both sides are referring to two different groups of workers.

  1. In this dispute Barnet UNISON is representing members across three frontline mental health social work teams which is approximately 20 social workers.

 

  1. Barnet Council refuses to recognise there is a greater recruitment and retention issue in the mental health teams than across Adult Social Care. Barnet Council has not produced the evidence to show there is a wider issue of recruitment and retention. Barnet Council wants to make a lower payment to 200 staff working in Adult Social Care.

 

What is the latest offer?

Barnet Council is offering to pay 5% to 200 staff working in Adult Social Care (we understand they are social workers, OT’s, social worker and OT Team Managers and Lead Practitioners) on the condition that UNISON calls off the mental health social worker strike.

We know that the reason to make this payment is NOT linked to the criteria set out in the recruitment and retention policy. Therefore, this payment is outside the scope of that policy.

UNISON’s response is quite simple.

  • We have repeatedly told Barnet Council to go ahead and pay 5% to whoever you feel deserves 5% in Adult Social Care.
  • We don’t have a dispute on recruitment and retention in Adult Social Care beyond the Mental Health Social Work Teams.
  • Barnet Council is already making recruitment and retention payments for other staff in Adult Social Care. UNISON does not know which posts are currently being given this payment.
  • We have a lawful dispute with three mental health social work teams which involves approximately 20 social workers.

To end this dispute with approximately 20 mental health social workers, they need to receive a 10% (a reduction from our original 20%) recruitment and retention payment which will be reviewed after two years. If this is agreed, then the strike will end. We have already put this forward to management to end the dispute and it was rejected.

To be clear about the two proposals tabled (one from UNISON, the other from Barnet Council) as a way of ending the dispute:

  1. The 10% payment to approximately 20 mental health social workers is a recruitment and retention payment which will be reviewed after two years as with other recruitment and retention payments.

 

  1. The 5% payment, which is not a recruitment and retention payment, to be paid to Adult Social Care staff Barnet Council deems to deserve this money.

 

The resolve of our members remains strong, they deeply care about their service, and they have been brave enough to raise their heads above the parapet by bringing news of the mental health crisis across the three teams.  25 social workers will have left the service in the space of 22 months. To any reasonable person that should be a cause of concern but to date Barnet Council has not demonstrated that it fully understands the serious risks to service users because of not resolving this dispute.

 

What does this mean for other Council workers?

If Barnet Council has money spare to make a 5% payment to workers which is not linked to the objective criteria set out in their recruitment and retention policy, then UNISON will begin consultation with other groups of workers equally deserving and working hard across the Council starting with Assessment and Enablement Officers (AEOs) and our depot workers.

Finally, I want to thank every one of our members who has sent in messages of solidarity or visited our picket lines. We know there is overwhelming support for our strikers. This support is not confined to Barnet UNISON members but is also found in the wider UNISON family. Messages of support are coming in from across the UK including thousands of pounds in donations to our strike fund. The response from Barnet residents has been humbling, we have residents dropping off food parcels, donations, and messages of support. Together residents and strikers have handed out 10,000 newsletters explaining the dispute to workers and residents of Barnet, and we will soon have another 10,000 newspapers to deliver over the coming weeks and months.

I hope the next time I write to all members that it will be good news and that Barnet Council will have reached an agreement to end the dispute.

I want to wish all members good mental health and enjoy your weekend.

Best wishes

John Burgess

Branch Secretary

Barnet UNISON.

Breaking NEWS: Mental Health Social Worker Strike Escalates!

UNISON has sent a strike notification to the soon to be departing chief executive stating that our members will be on strike for the period between 3 June and 14 June.

Our previous strike timetable was as follows:

  • From 15 April to 26 April 2024 (two weeks). Already taken.
  • From 13 May to 1 June 2024 (three weeks).
  • From 17 June to 12 July 2024. (four weeks).

The strike notification in effect means our members will be on strike continuously from Monday 13 May until Friday 12 July a total of nine weeks.

This week our strikers, having faced gaslighting, threats of strike breaking via use of an agency and outsourcing, decided that “Enough is Enough”.

Barnet Council is not taking the dispute seriously and more worryingly they are underestimating the risks of the dispute continuing in respect of the wellbeing of service users. In fact their lack of understanding reinforces UNISON members’ view that there is a complete lack of understanding and experience of mental health social work right to the top of Barnet Council. The irony of continuing its Mental Health Awareness Week during escalating strike action in its Mental Health Service was lost on Barnet Council. Mental health social work is a specialist service. Not everyone is suited to the ongoing risks associated with the work.

We know that over 80% of the current social workers across the three teams had no experience of working as mental health social workers before they came to work in the Barnet mental health social work teams.

We know that 21 social workers have left these teams in the last 20 months. We have another social worker working their notice and we have just heard another social worker has left the team, add to that two of our most experienced mental health social workers are about to transfer to the NHS that makes a total of 25 social workers.

Nobody outside the senior management team in Barnet Council understands why this dispute has not been resolved. The reaction from our members in Adult Social Care is widespread disbelief. They know that there are serious staffing problems in the mental health teams, and they support our claim. Feedback from staff across the rest of the Council is full support and solidarity.

The reputation of Barnet Council amongst its own workforce is rapidly falling and as news of this dispute spreads there is a very real danger that Barnet Council will be viewed as not a good place for social workers.

The clock is ticking. Someone in Barnet Council needs to act now and meet UNISON halfway and resolve this dispute or risk further damage to the service and its reputation.

 

End.

 

 

 

 

“Keep on running Frazier!” Solidarity for mental health strikers

**“Keep on running Frazier!” Solidarity for mental health strikers***

This weekend Barnet UNISON rep Frazier is running the Bristol Half-marathon and raising money for our Strike fund to enable our branch to support our mental health social worker strikers.

Today on the Barnet UNISON mental health social worker strikers made this short solidarity message to Frazier along to The Spencer Davis Group “Keep On Running”

He has surpassed his target of £500 but you can still donate by going to his just giving page below.

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/frazier-stroud-1?utm_term=5NrMZ9gBg

You can read more about the dispute here https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Why-is-the-strike-still-ongoing-1.pdf

Solidarity

Barnet UNISON

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