Category: Health and Safety

Insourcing win at Barnet council

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Insourcing win at Barnet council

Over 300 staff in a variety of services like trading standards, environmental health and other regulatory services, will now be transferred back in-house

Staff at Barnet council are due to be transferred back to council employment thanks to a decade-long campaign by UNISON.

The 330 affected workers are currently employed by outsourcing multinational conglomerate, Capita, and are being brought back in house after the council was used as a test case for the outsourcing of local government services.

The staff who work under a joint venture called ‘Capita Re’ in a variety of areas like trading standards, environmental health, planning highways and other regulatory services, will be TUPE transferred back in house on 1 April this year.

In 2012, much of the service provision at the council was outsourced to Capita on decade-long contracts by the Conservative-controlled council, with the intervening 10 years marred by several controversies including a multi-million-pound fraud and contracts running vastly over budget.

Barnet’s UNISON branch has campaigned for services to be brought back in-house since the contracts were initially handed to Capita and there have already been major in-sourcing successes at the council.

In May last year, Labour won control of the council after 20 years of Conservative leadership and, though the contracts had already been due to end next year, the new council has fast-tracked plans by six months to bring some services back in house.

John Burgess, Barnet local government branch secretary, said: “This is good news for staff, good news for residents and good news for the services. I welcome the decision and look forward to welcoming back all the services back into Barnet Council where they all belong.

“For a decade, our branch has campaigned for local government services at Barnet to be brought back in-house and, while we are happy that this latest has been fast tracked, there are still many issues to address for our members who are being TUPE’d.

“These include workplace inequalities such as staff being paid differently for the same role. Barnet UNISON is already seeking discussions with the council about harmonisation of the terms and conditions of the TUPE’d workforce.

“During the worst cost of living crisis in 75 years it is imperative that our branch does it best to look after the interests of our members transferring back into the council.”

https://www.unison.org.uk/news/2023/01/insourcing-win-at-barnet-council/

 

Emergency Barnet UNISON schools members meeting and advice

Austerity, Health and Safety, Local, National, News, Schools, Solidarity, Trades Dispute, UNISON Campaign

Dear Member

Early this week the National Education Union (NEU) announced that they have successfully completed a strike ballot for industrial action.

The NEU have announced the strike dates which will impact on Barnet Schools:

  1. Wednesday 1 February (England and Wales)
  2. Thursday 2 March (London, South East, South West)
  3. Wednesday 15 March (England and Wales)
  4. Thursday 16 March (England and Wales)

Our branch has already begun to receive communications from our members working in Barnet Schools as to what this means for them.

Today, Thursday 19 January 2023, we have received advice from UNISON National Advice.

Now that we have the advice we have decided to call an emergency Barnet UNISON schools meeting at which we will have speakers from the NEU. We have UNISON speakers ready to take questions on how we are going to support our members on these strike days.

The Barnet UNISON meeting is on Thursday 26 January 6-7 pm please click on the link below to join the meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85006232648?pwd=TC9lUWpWUWUyOTY1WjM3STBxQTk1Zz09

Meeting ID: 850 0623 2648

Passcode: 960864

Below is the UNISON advice to our members. We have highlighted in bold and underlined some key parts of the advice.

 “UNISON Advice

UNISON respects the rights of other trade unions to take industrial action and supports the other unions’ strike action. We urge members to support legal protests and rallies organised by NEU that take place outside your contracted hours of work.

However, UNISON members in schools and sixth form colleges have not been balloted for strike action or action short of strike action on this occasion and are therefore advised to continue with their normal duties and responsibilities.  UNISON members should not take on any additional responsibilities being given to them directly as a result of other unions’ industrial action.

Support staff should not be expected to provide cover for, or take classes, where this would normally be done by teachers who are taking action. Staff should not be moved from the duties they would normally have carried out in order to cover work and frustrate the industrial action of colleagues. This includes any staff employed as either HLTAs or Cover Supervisors. In Cymru/Wales, in workplaces where NEU members who are support staff are taking strike action, UNISON members should not be moved to cover those colleagues’ duties either.  Members who are under pressure to provide cover for striking colleagues should contact their UNISON rep, branch or region for further advice and support.

Members are reminded that due to industrial relations legislation only those employees who have been involved in a legal ballot are allowed to take industrial action.

HLTAs and Cover Supervisors

Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs) should only do ‘Specified Work’ with the support and/or supervision of a Qualified Teacher. Cover Supervisors supervise students who are working to a lesson prepared by a Qualified Teacher, usually a classroom teacher. If you are in either of these roles you should not be expected to take whole classes on the day of a strike if the teacher that normally supervises, supports or prepares your work is on strike.

DfE Guidance on Industrial Action in Schools (England only)

The DfE have updated and recirculated their guidance on industrial action in schools. The guidance is non-statutory, this means that schools are not obliged to follow the guidance.

Handling strike action in schools – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The advice makes clear that for maintained schools the decision on whether to close a school or not is the responsibility of the headteacher, and for academies it rests with the Trust. However, this decision is usually delegated to the headteacher.

The guidance is aimed at headteachers advising them on ways that they can try and keep their school open. This includes guidance on the recent government legislation allowing agency staff to cover strike action. UNISON is currently challenging the legality of this legislation and it is not accepted by many agencies. If you are aware of any instances of agency staff being brought in to cover striking colleagues, please report this to your regional office.

The guidance also suggests that schools can use some of the emergency measures introduced during the Covid pandemic to keep schools open, including asking staff to provide remote learning. We do not that accept this would fall within the definition of normal work for support staff and they should not be called on to deliver remote learning on strike days.”

If you have any questions or concerns please contact the Barnet UNISON office on email to contactus@barnetunison.org.uk or ring and leave a message on 0208 359 2088.

I look forward to seeing you all at our UNISON schools meeting next week on Thursday 26 January 2023.

 

Best wishes

John Burgess

Branch Secretary

Barnet UNISON

 

 

A shift of a care worker in Barnet: The London Living Wage is not enough!

Anti - Racism, Austerity, Barnet Group, Barnet Homes, Care & Support, COVID 19, Health and Safety, News, Solidarity, TBG Flex, UNISON Campaign, Your Choice Barnet

Barnet UNISON is in negotiations with The Barnet Group (TBG) about improving Pay and Terms and Conditions of our members.

One of our members, a care worker put together a list of work she does each day.

 

The list is enormous but it’s a critical service. The impact on the quality of life of residents is determined by the skill and professionalism of the care worker.

 

Whilst politicians will queue up to say that care workers are central to the delivery of care in the community they still refuse to commit to dealing with the ‘elephant in the room’ which is Pay.

 

Care workers have been subjected to outsourcing which has seen the pay and terms and conditions sink.

 

Considering the care work workforce is largely female it could be said that  outsourcing of care work is an example of institutional misogyny within procurement and commissioning of care services.

 

Look at this list of tasks and ask yourself whether you think that care workers should be paid more.

 

As a Carers we do:

  1. Personal care
  2. Make bed and tidy up bathrooms and rooms.
  3. Put water in the jug.
  4. Give bedtime tea.
  5. Serve tea after personal care.
  6. Take all clothes, bed linens, towels to laundry to wash.
  7. Assist residents to go to the dining area.
  8. Support residents to walk with jimo frames. or in a wheelchair.
  9. Assist residents to sit on the chair.
  10. Serve breakfast and prepare tea and toast.
  11. Assist residents to go the toilet.
  12. Assist residents as required.
  13. Assist residents to go to the lounge or in their room.
  14. Make sure they have everything as needed.
  15. Take Covid Temperature and record.
  16. Clear dining area and set up for lunch time.
  17. Wash all dishes and serving pots and pans.
  18. Clear and sweeping floors.
  19. Medication administered.
  20. Assist and respond when is needed.
  21. Do daily logbook and record.
  22. Served 11 am tea or juices choices if residents.
  23. Change bed linen.
  24. Dealt with residents as different needs.
  25. Escort residents to their hospital appointment.
  26. Take samples of residents to GP.
  27. Support residents with hearing aids, glasses, dentures.
  28. Weigh residents regularly.
  29. Take BP regularly.
  30. Admin work monthly based filing all documents.
  31. Everyday take fridges temperatures and food temperatures.
  32. Daily logging and administration medication.
  33. Assist residents to go to toilet before lunch.
  34. Assists residents to sit on their chair to eat lunch.
  35. Bring food trolly from kitchen to dining area.
  36. Get ready to serve lunch.
  37. Served lunch and dealt with individual’s needs.
  38. Again scraped all dishes and take to the small kitchen to wash.
  39. Clear, sweep, collect and wash.
  40. Support and assist residents needs to go toilet, lounge, in their room.
  41. Empty bin and take to waste bin outside.
  42. Do daily logging book.
  43. Laundry to put way and hang in the wardrobe in the resident’s room.
  44. Teatime 3pm prepare tea and served tea and coffee and cakes.
  45. Take Covid Temperature.
  46. Do Menu for next lunch and supper ask individual what they would like to eat and explained to residents what is in the menu.
  47. Do shopping list for next day.
  48. Collect all cups and plates and wash them.
  49. Set up tables for suppers.
  50. Do daily logbook.
  51. Administration medications.
  52. We do behaviour chats, fluids records, bowels records, oral care records everyday morning and evening.
  53. Serve suppers bring trolly to the dining area.
  54. Do personal and oral care individuals.
  55. Scraped dishes and wash and clear dining area.
  56. After all personal care done take clothes and towels into laundry room and put them in the washing machines and clean kitchen.
  57. Medication administered.
  58. Serve bedtime’s tea.
  59. Put residents in beds.
  60. Empty dishwasher and put cutlery way.
  61. Collect all cups and mugs and put in washing.
  62. Do daily logbook.
  63. Check resident before finish shifts and handover.
  64. Go home.

 

64 reasons why £11.95 (London Living Wage) is not enough Pay for care workers.

 

End.

RPI a massive 19.9% in October! We have two Waste & Recycling (Bin workers) pay issues

Anti - Racism, Austerity, COVID 19, Health and Safety, Local, News, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

The graphic above was taken from the Government website The Office of National Statistics (ONS).

The almost vertical rise in RPI is plain for all to see. The graphic shows RPI over a 30-year period.

We are unprecedented times which is why our members are angry and determined to get a pay offer they believe provides them with some respect.

Early next week UNISON and GMB are going into another round of talks to try and reach an agreement on two pay claims made on behalf of bin workers

At a mass meeting in the depot this morning our members are clear they want a better offer.

Our members worked throughout Covid and feel their contribution to the delivering services 52 weeks a year to Barnet residents is not recognised by their employer.

Warms words will not pay the rent, the food bills or the escalating energy costs.

Barnet UNISON will be reminding the employer that our members working in Waste & Recycling (Bin workers) had a 91% turnout in the National Pay consultation and almost of the Votes were to REJECT the offer and move to strike action.

See voting figures here

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2022/09/22/89-of-barnet-unison-members-vote-to-reject-national-pay-offer/

The next round of talks will take place on Monday 28 November 2022.

More later.

 

End.

 

 

Breaking NEWS: HGV Retention payments update

Austerity, Health and Safety, Local, News, Recruitment, Solidarity, Uncategorised, UNISON Campaign

There have been two meetings between Street Scene management UNISON and GMB regards a retention payment for HGV drivers.

Street Scene Management have proposed a 10% retention payment which will be made for a six-month period from 01 October 2022 through to 31 March 2023.

UNISON and GMB proposed a 20% retention payment for a 12-month period.

As we were unable to reach an agreement a meeting is being arranged for Trade Union representatives and Street Scene Management Team representatives to meet with the Corporate Management Team (Chief Executive) to discuss the Trade Unions proposal.

End.

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