Category: Anti – Racism

Barnet UNISON is currently in negotiations with the London Borough of Barnet over compensation for underpaid holiday pay for workers who regularly work overtime.

In the middle of a cost of living crisis, when our members are struggling with rent, mortgages, food, fuel and rising debt, it is simply not acceptable that money which should have been in workers’ pay has not been paid. Our job as your union is clear:
👉 Get as much money into our members’ pockets as possible, as fairly and as quickly as we can.

We have another negotiation meeting with the employer on Monday 15 December 2025 and our aim is to secure a compensation offer that we can put to members early in the New Year.

What is the issue about?

For years, depot workers and other council staff have:

• Worked regular, predictable overtime, and
• Taken annual leave, during which their holiday pay did not reflect the overtime they usually earn.

The law – backed up by court decisions – says that when you are on holiday, you should not be financially penalised for taking that leave. Where overtime is regular, it should form part of your “normal pay” for at least part of your annual leave.

Barnet Council only started making an extra holiday-related payment on overtime from 1 April 2025. That leaves a period where many staff who worked regular overtime were very likely underpaid while on holiday.

Because of strict time limits in the legal system, we are not pursuing this through the Employment Tribunal. Instead, Barnet UNISON is:

🔹 Pursuing a collective compensation deal with Barnet Council for all affected workers.

This is not a “nice to have” – it is money our members should have had at a time when every pound really matters.

Why this matters now – hardship and the cost of living crisis

We are hearing, day in, day out, from members who are:

• Skipping meals or relying on foodbanks
• Struggling with rent and mortgage payments
• Cutting back on heating
• Juggling multiple jobs and overtime just to stay afloat

Many of the workers affected by this issue are low paid depot workers and other frontline staff who have kept services running through austerity, the pandemic and the current financial crisis facing the Council.

For years they have worked overtime, often at short notice and under pressure, and then lost out on pay when they took their annual leave. That is not just a legal issue – it is a fairness and dignity issue.

Barnet UNISON is absolutely clear:

We will not allow this to be swept under the carpet or reduced to a token gesture.
We are fighting for real money, for real people, facing real hardship.

What are we trying to secure?

Our objectives are:

1. A fair compensation package for all affected workers who have regularly worked overtime and were underpaid while on annual leave.
2. A deal that recognises the higher impact on low paid workers, especially depot staff and other frontline roles.
3. A clear, lawful and transparent system going forward so that:
   • Holiday pay properly reflects regular overtime; and
   • This situation cannot happen again.

We are not interested in a token, one-size-fits-all gesture that barely touches what’s been lost. Any offer will be:

• Modelled and tested against what members could reasonably have expected to receive, and
• Consulted on with members before UNISON takes a position.

What happens next?

• 15 December 2025 – Barnet UNISON meets with Barnet Council alongside the other unions. We will push to agree:
  • Terms of Reference
  • Information disclosure
  • A negotiation timetable
• Early 2026 – Our goal is to secure a compensation proposal to take to members early in the New Year.
• Any proposal will be:
  • Explained clearly
  • Subject to consultation
  • And, if appropriate, a ballot of affected members.

If the Council drags its feet or presents an offer that is clearly unfair, Barnet UNISON will consult members on next steps, including the possibility of industrial action.

Solidarity statement from Helen Davies, Branch Chair, Barnet UNISON

“Our members are living through a brutal cost of living crisis.

The very people who keep this borough going – depot workers, street scene staff, care workers, those working long hours on overtime – have been short-changed on their holiday pay for years.

Barnet UNISON is absolutely determined to get every penny we can back into our members’ pockets. This is not abstract negotiation – it’s about heating, food, rent, debt and dignity.

We will go into the meeting on 15 December with a clear message: our members cannot afford more delay, and they will not accept a token gesture.

We are asking all our members to stand together in solidarity. When we fight together, we win together.” – Helen Davies, Branch Chair, Barnet UNISON

If you are a Barnet Council worker who regularly works overtime and you’re not currently a UNISON member, now is the time to join.

📩 If you have questions about whether you may be affected by this issue, please contact the Barnet UNISON office.

End.

Barnet UNISON has today written to all Labour councillors and the four Labour MPs for Barnet constituencies, calling on them to stop a proposed cut to the Council’s Welfare Team during the height of the cost-of-living crisis.

The Council has opened a 30-day consultation (9 September–8 October 2025) to delete one full-time (36 hours) Income Maximisation Officer (Grade G) — a low-paid, high-impact frontline role that helps residents access benefits and emergency support, manage debt, and keep up with Council Tax.

Barnet UNISON Branch Secretary John Burgess said:

“This is a small saving with a huge human cost. Cutting frontline welfare capacity in the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades means longer waits, fewer successful benefit claims and more arrears. We’re asking councillors and MPs to back a pause and protect residents.”

What UNISON is asking for

1. Pause the restructure and any redundancy selection until after autumn national announcements on crisis-support funding/administration, so Barnet can align staffing to the confirmed model.
2. Fix the Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) — complete and accurate data on staff and service users, with concrete mitigations, before any decision.
3. Transparency and fairness in any selection process: publish the scoring matrix; ensure fair treatment for part-time staff; allow union observation.
4. A workload & service-risk assessment (phones, casework, outreach) showing how residents’ needs will be met if capacity is cut.
5. Redeployment first: priority placement and retraining into suitable roles; freeze external recruitment to relevant posts until at-risk staff are placed.
6. Alternatives to redundancy: temporary bridging (including available admin funding), voluntary hours reductions, and reductions in agency/consultancy spend to preserve this low-cost post.

Why this matters

Income Maximisation Officers:

• support residents to secure welfare entitlements, Discretionary Housing Payments, Council Tax Support/Discretionary Relief, Resident Support Fund, and related help;
• provide debt and budgeting advice, complete complex forms, and carry out home visits for vulnerable residents;
• help residents manage and pay Council Tax, preventing arrears and homelessness and reducing knock-on costs across services.

Management has acknowledged that additional posts were made permanent despite insecure funding in 2023. Proceeding now would reduce outreach to “ad-hoc” only and risks deleting experienced capacity just as national crisis-support arrangements are being redesigned.

John Burgess added:

“Our ask is simple: pause, fix the EqIA, and work with us on non-redundancy options. Protecting one Grade G post protects thousands of Barnet residents from falling through the cracks.”

Notes to Editors

• Consultation window: 9 September–8 October 2025.
• Proposal: delete 1.0 FTE (36 hours) Income Maximisation Officer (Grade G) in the Welfare Team.
• Decision route: Chief Officer delegated powers following consultation.
• Service impact: reduced capacity for benefits access, emergency support, Council Tax help, and outreach to the most deprived neighbourhoods.
• UNISON has formally raised concerns that the EqIA is incomplete/inaccurate and lacks practical mitigations.