The table below shows the impact of the National Pay offer on each of the Barnet Council Grades
To help our members work out what the National Pay offer means to their grade we have put together a list of Job titles and Grades. Please see below.
If you need any support or assistance on this matter please contact the Barnet UNISON office at contactus@barnetunison.org.uk or ring 0208 359 2088
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Barnet UNISON reps at our Branch Executive meeting agreed that Barnet UNISON would make a recommendation to our members to reject the Employers offer.
Below are some of the reasons why we have taken this position.
Politicians claim there is no magic money tree
What Tory Austerity Policies are doing to us.
What can we do?
Barnet UNISON members are going to carry out a National Pay survey. It is important that every single member completes the survey and posts it back. First, we need over 50% of members to vote in the survey. Second, we want most of those voting to Vote Reject. “UK inflation could reach 15% by start of 2023, experts say” Every month inflation rises makes this offer worse for more of our members.
Barnet UNISON will issue the National Pay survey on Thursday 1 September until 5pm, Friday 16 September.
Members will receive an email with a link to the survey. Those with no access to email will receive a hard copy survey.
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‘We do physical work, our comrade was injured working for Barnet Homes, we are standing with him against an employer that feels it doesn’t have to pay him – it could’ve happened to any of us’.
(Barnet Repairs worker and UNISON member).
Barnet Homes, a subsidiary of Barnet Council’s Local Authority Trading Company the Barnet Group, is refusing to pay sick pay to a worker injured whilst at work.
The demand from Responsive Repairs workers is simple – pay a colleague who was injured at work for time off to rest and recuperate from his injury.
Barnet UNISON met with the CEO of the Barnet Group, a Local Authority Trading Company which is fully owned by Barnet Council, on Wednesday the 27th of July to try and reach an agreement.
The Barnet Group although seeing the merits of paying a worker who sustained an injury at work while working for the Barnet Group, has refused to do so.
Barnet UNISON’s and the workers we represent response to this stance is simple:
NO ONE who is injured while at work should be left without sick pay from their employer.
Barnet UNISON will now move to requesting a ballot for industrial action from London Region – and will be requesting all out continuous strike action.
Barnet UNISON sincerely hope that this will not be necessary and that Barnet Homes, The Barnet Group and Barnet Council will see sense and pay a worker who was injured while working for them.
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Note to Editors: Contact details: Barnet UNISON on or 020 8359 2088 or email: Helen.Davies@barnetunison.org.uk
Background:
Barnet Council Repairs Operatives 100% turnout and 100% vote for strike action.
Barnet Council’s Company Refuse to Show Compassion for Injured Worker https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2022/07/13/barnet-councils-company-refuse-to-show-compassion-for-injured-worker/
Last week we sat down with The Barnet Group (TBG) to try to reach a resolution and we can now report that TBG have agreed the following:
‘We have now completed the evaluation of salaries and will increase existing staff pay in line with the newly evaluated jobs – and backdated to 1st July.’
Barnet UNISON delighted to announce that although this group of workers was balloted for strike action, recording a massive 100% vote on an 88% turn out, the Barnet Group has accepted the demands of the workers, so strike action will no longer be necessary.
‘I just want to say a massive thank you to you for assisting us all outreach staff in our fight to get what we deserved our pay rise and it was successful. I also want to say if I wasn’t for me being a union member this could not have been achieved. (I have to say I was thinking about cutting costs and skipping out my membership with the union). But boy I’m so glad I didn’t it has been very worthwhile, beneficial and I am so grateful for all the important and hard work that the union do .’ (Barnet Outreach worker and UNISON member)
‘I cannot thank you enough for the wonderful job you are doing. The strength to challenge the pay inequality was tapped from Barnet Unison, knowing that you are there thick and thin was the strength that push us through. You are the pilot, we are the passenger in the plane, even during the turbulent you refused to give up rather you encouraged us to hold on, thank you so much for the safe landing. I appreciate your determination, your support and love. Where there is injustice there is a threat to justice’ (Barnet Outreach worker and UNISON member)
‘I feel there is now a better sense of job security amongst staff following the strategy our reps used and the discussion we had today. This has given us back the dignity we deserve. Keep up the good work!’ (Barnet Outreach worker and UNISON member).
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Note to Editors: Contact details: Barnet UNISON on or 020 8359 2088 or email: Helen.Davies@barnetunison.org.uk
Background:
Out of Touch Barnet for Outreach Barnet Workers!
https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2022/07/13/out-of-touch-barnet-for-outreach-barnet-workers/
Barnet Outreach workers 88% turnout and a100% vote for strike action.
This information is for all Barnet Council staff who are on Unified Reward Terms and Conditions.
To find out how much money that you have lost because of the Tories Austerity Robbery you need to know which Grade you are on.
If you don’t know what grade you are on, please contact your line manager. If you are experiencing problems finding out this information, please leave a message on the UNISON voicemail on 0208 359 2088 or email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk
Grade A: The Tories have held back your pay by 27.5%. What that means for a Grade A worker is that instead of earning £22,575 a year you should be on £28,783 which means the Tories have robbed you of £6,208
Grade B: The Tories have held back your pay by 27.5% what that means for a Grade B worker is that instead of earning £23,400 a year you should be on £29,835 which means the Tories have robbed you of £6,435
Grade C: The Tories have held back your pay by 27.5% what that means for a Grade C worker is that instead of earning £24,243 a year you should be on £30,910 which means the Tories have robbed you of £6,667
Grade D: The Tories have held back your pay by 27.5% what that means for a is that for a Grade D worker instead of earning £25,128 a year you should be on £32,038 which means the Tories have robbed you of £6,910
Grade E: The Tories have held back your pay by 27.5% what that means for a Grade E worker is that instead of earning £26,508 a year you should be on £33,798 which means the Tories have robbed you of £7,290
Grade F: The Tories have held back your pay by 27.5% what that means for a Grade F worker is that instead of earning £29,502 a year you should be on £37,615 which means the Tories have robbed you of £8,113
Grade G: The Tories have held back your pay by 27.5% what that means for a Grade G worker is that instead of earning £32,988 a year you should be on £42,060 which means the Tories have robbed you of £9,072
If you have any questions or queries, please leave a voicemail on 0208 359 2088 or email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk
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“We may have all come on different ships, but we are in the same boat now, all we are asking for is fairness and respect, equal treatment like our colleagues, it is not too much to ask.” (Barnet Outreach worker)
“Happy employees = successful organisation. Let’s do the things right” (Barnet Outreach worker)
We noted a discrepancy in pay between new starters and staff who were TUPE transferred across in 2019.
New starters are paid significantly higher (around 10% higher) than the TUPE’d staff.
We noted that the message this gives longstanding staff is that they are worth less than the new starters and also noted that if all of them resigned from their role then they would have to be hired at the new rate of pay.
TBG is undertaking an exercise to re-evaluate the roles of the TUPE’d staff but this work may only be completed by the end of July. At the time of the Emergency JNCC we did not receive a commitment to backdate any such re-evaluation to 1st July (the date the new starters began).
Trades Dispute: Failure to agree to aligning the wages of workers in Outreach Barnet with a backdate to 1st July.
‘We are already swamped in Housing Options with our caseloads, but without the great work of Outreach Barnet, we simply wouldn’t be able to cope, they make a real difference to vulnerable peoples lives.’ (Housing Options worker)
‘Barnet Outreach workers provide a service that is essential to our most vulnerable tenants to help them sustain their tenancies.’ (Sheltered Housing worker)
Barnet UNISON carried out its own consultative strike ballot.
Indicative Ballot result
Returned Ballot – 88%
Vote for strike action – 100%
Barnet UNISON has reiterated that we are still open for talks. We have agreed to a meeting on Wednesday 27 July 2022 where we hope commonsense will prevail to avoid strike action. However, because of the outcome of our consultative ballot we will be submitting our Industrial Action request to UNISON London region next week.
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Note to Editors: Contact details: Barnet UNISON on or 020 8359 2088 or email: Helen.Davies@barnetunison.org.uk
Background:
Out of Touch Barnet for Outreach Barnet Workers!
https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2022/07/13/out-of-touch-barnet-for-outreach-barnet-workers/
Several weeks ago, Barnet UNISON became aware our outsourced cleaners who work for Norse Cleaning were not being paid the correct London Living Wage. The new rate is £11.05 an hour.
After speaking with the contractor and Barnet Council we cannot confirm that our cleaners are now being paid correctly and the backdating has been paid.
Word spread of our actions, and cleaners are joining Barnet UNISON.
Our next task is to support our members by building an insourcing campaign back into Barnet Council for these key workers.
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Barnet UNISON attended a JNCC meeting with The Barnet Group on Wednesday 7 July 2022.
We submitted a full list of agenda items and made clear that if a resolution was not agreed at the meeting, we would have to register a trade dispute. A number of interventions took place before the meeting in order to try and avoid these disputes, but they were unsuccessful.
As of Thursday 14 July 2022, Barnet UNISON has begun two indicative strike ballots of two sets of workers:
· Council Housing repairs workers
· Outreach Barnet workers
If the ballots are in favour of strike action Barnet UNISON will approach UNISON London Region to begin the official strike ballot.
In the meantime, the door remains open for the employer to reach a resolution with Barnet UNISON that our members would accept.
Please see the list of the trade disputes
1. Repairs
We noted the intention of paying sick pay to all workers in repairs by giving them the opportunity to transition to a new contract 1st August. We noted this intention had been signalled in talks with the trade unions since last Autumn. A colleague is currently off sick following an accident at work and in spite of there being light duties he could have done, he was sent home with no sick pay as per his contract. We noted the offer of a loan as a remedy but highlight the difficulty in low paid workers being able to pay back any loans. As we are so close to these colleagues being on the new contract we were looking for a resolution which would put money into this worker’s account to relieve his difficulty. As a new starter this worker would have had access to sick pay. The treatment he has had does not recognise his dedication to his job, residents and other colleagues. He worked throughout the pandemic.
We discussed bringing his contract offer forward. We discussed the possibility of making a payment in any other way. We failed to agree a way forward.
Dispute: failure to agree adequate support an employee during their sickness.
2. Outreach Barnet
We noted discrepancy in pay between new starters and staff who were TUPE transferred across in 2019. New starters are paid significantly higher (around 10% higher) than the TUPE’d staff. We noted that the message this gives longstanding staff is that they are worth less than the new starters and also noted that if all of them resigned from their role then they would have to be hired at the new rate of pay. TBG is undertaking an exercise to re-evaluate the roles of the TUPE’d staff but this work may only be completed by the end of July. At the time of the Emergency JNCC we did not receive a commitment to backdate any such re-evaluation to 1st July (the date the new starters begin).
Dispute: failure to agree to aligning the wages of workers in Outreach Barnet with a backdate to 1st July.
3. COVID payments
We noted LBB has not changed its arrangements around COVID. With the exception of care home staff all other staff in TBG have been told effectively COVID is a sickness like any other and will be treated as such in relation to sick pay and absence management monitoring. We note TBG is not saying there is currently a significant problem with COVID absence. We note the rise in COVID infections generally and the prevalence of Long COVID which is now recognised as a disability. We were not able to secure a commitment to simply follow LBB policy in this regard.
Dispute: failure to agree to revert back to the sick pay and other associated arrangements with respect of the management of COVID in existence prior to July 1st.
4. Payment for Home Testing
We note the home testing and registering for COVID regime to which residential care workers are subject. We are looking for this to be recognised as work time (much the same way as workers who have to take out a vehicle for work purposes and do their vehicle checks and are paid as work time). We have suggested this would total the equivalent of 2.5hrs per week, per worker. This has not been agreed.
Dispute: failure to agree to recognise and remunerate COVID testing for workers in care homes.
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