Category: Housing
They Were Heroes During Covid. Now They Are Fighting for Fair Pay. We Must Stand With Them.
They Were Heroes During Covid. Now They Are Fighting for Fair Pay. We Must Stand With Them.
Branch Secretary Blog — John Burgess, Barnet UNISON
On Tuesday 13 October, Barnet UNISON announced that our members working for The Barnet Group had voted overwhelmingly for strike action.
88% voted YES on a 55% turnout.
That is a powerful result, and I want to explain why this dispute matters to every Barnet UNISON member, not just those working for The Barnet Group.
Who are The Barnet Group workers?
The Barnet Group (TBG) is a company wholly owned by Barnet Council. It includes Barnet Homes, which provides housing services, and Your Choice Barnet, which provides social care and support services.
These are not optional services. Housing and social care are essential public services which councils have statutory responsibilities to provide or arrange.
Our members include care and support workers looking after vulnerable adults, and housing workers helping residents with their homes, repairs and housing needs.
They are public service workers. They work for organisations owned by Barnet Council. But they are not treated the same as Barnet Council employees.
Many members reading this may be surprised to learn that TBG workers do not automatically receive the same pay, annual leave, sick pay, overtime rates or other terms and conditions as Council staff.
They also do not have the same access to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
How can that be right?
Remember when care workers were called heroes?
I want members to think back to Covid.
When much of the country was told to stay at home, our care workers continued going to work.
They supported vulnerable residents who depended on them. They worried about catching Covid, about passing it on to the people they cared for, and about bringing it home to their own families.
They went to work because people needed them.
Remember the weekly applause? Remember people standing outside their homes banging saucepans to show their appreciation for NHS and care workers?
They were called heroes then. So why are they still fighting for fair pay, decent conditions and pension rights now?
You cannot pay the rent with applause. You cannot pay your energy bills with praise.
And you certainly cannot build a decent retirement on warm words.
One Council. Two Workforces. That Must End.
Barnet UNISON has been campaigning for years against outsourcing and the creation of a two-tier workforce.
Barnet Homes and Your Choice Barnet were once Council services. Moving them outside direct Council employment has left workers doing essential public service jobs without the same contractual protections and benefits as their Council colleagues.
Our members are demanding better pay and conditions, including improved annual leave, sick pay, working hours, overtime rates, a fair pay structure and access to the LGPS.
The Barnet Group has rejected the claim.
Our members have responded by voting for strike action.
Nobody takes a decision to strike lightly, especially workers who care for vulnerable people and support residents.
But when employers refuse to negotiate seriously, what choice are workers left with?
This is why Barnet UNISON is calling on The Barnet Group and Barnet Council to sit down with us and negotiate a fair settlement.
My Message to Every Barnet UNISON Member
I have spent 31 years representing workers in Barnet, including 23 years as Branch Secretary.
I have seen what outsourcing does to workers. I have seen the divisions it creates, the inequalities it produces and the damage it can do to morale.
I have also seen what happens when workers stand together.
Our TBG members have shown courage. They have voted to challenge their employer because they believe they deserve better.
Now I am asking every Barnet UNISON member reading this blog to do something simple.
Take a few minutes to send a message of solidarity to our housing and care workers.
It doesn’t have to be long. Just a few words to let them know they are not alone.
You might work in a school, a library, a depot, an office or another Council service. You might never have met a TBG worker.
That doesn’t matter.
We are all UNISON members, and when one group of workers is fighting for fair treatment, they deserve the support of the rest of us.
Please email your message of support to contactus@barnetunison.org.uk.
I will make sure our TBG members get to read your messages.
I want them to know that thousands of fellow UNISON members across Barnet recognise their fight and stand alongside them.
They were there for our community during Covid.
Now it’s our turn to be there for them.
Solidarity.
John Burgess
Branch Secretary
Barnet UNISON
Are you listening Prime Minister Burnham ?
TBG UNISON members formal strike ballot looms
Barnet Voice TBG Ballot ready
read newsletter below
https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Barnet-Voice-TBG-Ballot-ready.pdf
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — 17 JULY 2026 BARNET HOUSING AND CARE WORKERS MOVE TOWARDS STRIKE BALLOTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — 17 JULY 2026
BARNET HOUSING AND CARE WORKERS MOVE TOWARDS STRIKE BALLOTS
Barnet Homes and Your Choice Barnet workers say “Enough is Enough” after TBG refuses to negotiate on pay, terms and pensions.
Barnet UNISON is preparing to request two separate formal industrial action ballots for members working in Barnet Homes and Your Choice Barnet, following a Special JNCC meeting with The Barnet Group today.
UNISON reported the results of two separate consultative ballots:
- 97% of Your Choice Barnet members voted for industrial action
- 100% of Barnet Homes members voted for industrial action
Despite these results, The Barnet Group confirmed at the meeting that it was not willing to negotiate on any part of UNISON’s claims.
The claims cover:
- a proper pay increase, including a £15-an-hour minimum
- improved terms and conditions
- movement towards council-standard terms
- access to the Local Government Pension Scheme
Barnet UNISON formally registered a failure to agree at the Special JNCC and advised TBG that the branch will now seek approval for separate statutory industrial action ballots for housing workers and care workers.
A Barnet Homes worker said:
“We deliver council housing services, but we are not treated like council workers. We work longer hours, receive worse terms and have no access to LGPS. Members have had enough of being told there is never any money for us.”
A Your Choice Barnet care worker said:
“We support vulnerable adults every day, often under huge physical and emotional pressure. Then we go home worrying about rent, food and bills. We are doing essential work in one of the most expensive cities in the world, but we are still treated as second-class.”
Helen Davies, Barnet UNISON Branch Chair and UNISON SGE representative for London, said:
“These ballot results send a powerful message. Housing and care workers are angry, organised and no longer prepared to accept second-class treatment. TBG has rejected every part of the claim and has now refused to negotiate, even after hearing that members are ready to take action. Enough is enough. Barnet Council owns The Barnet Group and cannot stand back while the workers delivering its services are treated this way.”
Barnet UNISON is calling on The Barnet Group and the London Borough of Barnet to return to negotiations with a serious proposal before the dispute escalates further.
Notes to editors
- The Barnet Group is wholly owned by the London Borough of Barnet.
- Barnet Homes provides housing services.
- Your Choice Barnet provides adult social care services.
- The consultative ballots were separate from the formal statutory industrial action ballots now being prepared.
- Industrial action has not yet been authorised or called.
Media enquiries: contactus@barnetunison.org.uk
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | June 2026 BARNET UNISON’S EQUAL PAY FIGHT: WE ARE NOT GOING AWAY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | June 2026
BARNET UNISON’S EQUAL PAY FIGHT: WE ARE NOT GOING AWAY
Hundreds of Barnet women workers are owed years of back pay. UNISON is fighting for every one of them and the bill for Barnet Council is growing every single day.
On 29 May 2026, Barnet UNISON took its equal pay claim to the Employment Tribunal. UNISON’s solicitors made the case for hundreds of women workers — school staff, care workers, early years workers, administrators and support staff — who have for years been paid less than their male counterparts in the council’s waste and recycling service.
Here is what we know. Male workers in the waste and recycling service are paid for a full working day but are allowed to go home when their rounds are done, sometimes by mid-morning. Women doing work of equal value have no such benefit. They work every contracted hour every day. That is not fair. That is unequal and illegal. And UNISON is determined to put it right.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE TRIBUNAL
Our barrister succeeded in getting UNISON’s case heard, despite attempts by Barnet Council to block our submissions. UNISON was fighting for women workers in that courtroom, making the case to get our members’ voices heard.
The judge has set a preliminary hearing for 9 September 2026 to consider UNISON’s application to have the procedural block on our claim removed.
That hearing is the next critical moment. We will be ready.
Separately, the tribunal confirmed that UNISON’s claims against The Barnet Group and Barnet Education and Learning Skills — the council’s own companies, employing many of our members — are not subject to any block and are being progressed. Those claims move forward now.
OUR CLAIM IS STRONG AND GROWING
Barnet UNISON’s case is not built on speculation. It is built on evidence — evidence that has been gathered carefully, systematically, and with the support of experienced legal specialists in equal pay law.
Here is what we know about the situation at Barnet:
- Waste and recycling workers are regularly finishing their rounds hours before their contracted day ends and going home, paid in full.
- Women working in schools, care, early years, social services and admin must complete every contracted hour. There is no equivalent benefit for them.
- The council knows this practice exists. Rather than negotiating an end to this practice as other Councils have done, they are refusing to sit and meet with UNISON.
- Other councils — including Southampton, Birmingham and Glasgow — have already settled equal pay claims on the same basis, paying out millions of pounds to women workers.
- The longer Barnet Council refuses to come to the table, the bigger the bill becomes. Every single month of delay adds to the compensation owed.
“This claim is about basic fairness. Women working for Barnet Council and its companies have been short-changed for years while the council looked the other way. We have the evidence, we have the legal backing, and we have the determination to see this through. Barnet Council cannot run from this. The question is not whether they will have to pay — it is how much.”
Helen Davies, Branch Chair, Barnet UNISON and UNISON London Regional SGE Representative
EVERY MONTH OF DELAY COSTS BARNET COUNCIL MORE
Barnet Council’s legal strategy appears to be delay procedural hearings; blocking applications; running down the clock. What they do not seem to understand, or perhaps do not care about, is that delay does not reduce their liability; it increases it.
Equal pay back pay accrues from the date a claim is lodged. UNISON’s claims were lodged in November and December 2025. That clock is running. Every month the council refuses to negotiate, every month they hide behind procedural manoeuvres, the total compensation bill grows. By the time this case reaches settlement or judgment, Barnet Council will be paying for every single month they delayed.
That cost is ultimately borne by Barnet taxpayers. UNISON is not responsible for that. The council is.
THIS IS YOUR CLAIM. YOUR TIME IS NOW.
UNISON has lodged claims on behalf of our members. But the strength of this campaign depends on numbers and numbers depend on you.
Every eligible UNISON member who completes a case form adds to the pressure on Barnet Council to stop stalling and sit down at the negotiating table. A large, organised, well-evidenced claim is harder to ignore and harder to fight than a small one. Barnet Council is already watching these numbers. Help us make them impossible to ignore.
Here is what you must understand about timing: your back pay runs from the date you join the claim, not from the date UNISON first raised the issue. Every month you wait is a month of potential compensation you may never recover. Do not assume someone else has done it for you. Do not assume you will be included automatically.
COMPLETE YOUR CASE FORM TODAY
Contact Barnet UNISON at contactus@barnetunison.org.uk to get your case form. Fill it in. Return it. Do it now.
If you are a UNISON member working for the London Borough of Barnet, The Barnet Group or Barnet Education and Learning Skills, and you believe you may have been affected by unequal pay, you may be eligible to join this claim. Speak to your UNISON rep or contact the branch directly.
UNISON STANDS FULLY BEHIND YOU
UNISON knows what the cost-of-living crisis means for our members. We see it every day. Workers who give everything to their jobs — caring for children, supporting families, keeping this borough running — are struggling to pay their bills, heat their homes and put food on the table. Many of Barnet UNISON’s members are among the lowest paid workers in the borough. They cannot afford to wait years for justice that should have been delivered years ago.
That is why this claim matters beyond its legal significance. The back pay owed to these workers is not a windfall. It is money they earned and were denied. It is money that would make a real difference to real lives, right now, when it is needed most.
“Barnet UNISON’s equal pay claim is exactly the kind of fight that UNISON exists to lead. These are women who have worked hard, served their community, and been systematically short-changed. UNISON’s London region stands fully behind Barnet branch and every member in this claim. We will not rest until justice is delivered.”
Sara Gorton Regional Secretary UNISON Greater London Region
“Equal pay is not a negotiating position. It is a legal right. The women of Barnet have waited long enough. UNISON is unequivocally, unconditionally and completely behind Barnet UNISON’s members and their branch in this fight. Barnet Council must stop hiding behind legal delays and do the right thing: come to the table, negotiate a fair settlement, and end this inequality now.”
Andrea Egan, UNISON General Secretary
ENDS
For further information contact Barnet UNISON Branch: contactus@barnetunison.org.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Barnet UNISON is the UNISON branch for workers employed by the London Borough of Barnet, The Barnet Group and Barnet Education and Learning Skills.
- Equal pay claims are brought under the Equality Act 2010. Back pay in Employment Tribunal equal pay claims in England and Wales runs for up to six years from the date the claim is lodged.
- UNISON’s equal pay claims were lodged with the Employment Tribunal in November and December 2025.
- A preliminary hearing is listed for 9 September 2026 to consider UNISON’s application to lift the procedural stay on claims against the London Borough of Barnet.
- Claims against The Barnet Group and Barnet Education and Learning Skills are not subject to the stay and are being actively progressed.
- Comparable equal pay settlements involving task and finish in waste and recycling services have been reached at Southampton City Council (July 2025), Birmingham City Council (2024–25) and Glasgow City Council (2022).
TBG rejects UNISON cost-of-living claims for housing and care workers
Employer admits financial pressure — but refuses pay, terms and LGPS improvements for Barnet Homes and Your Choice Barnet staff.
Barnet UNISON has received The Barnet Group’s formal response to our pay, terms and pension claims for workers in Barnet Homes (housing services) and Your Choice Barnet (adult social care). The headline is clear: TBG has rejected the claims.
These are frontline workers keeping essential services running in one of the most expensive cities in the world — supporting vulnerable adults, dealing with housing pressures, and carrying rising workloads. UNISON submitted the claims because members are being squeezed hard by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and years of pay falling behind real living costs.
Key points from TBG’s response
- TBG says Your Choice Barnet is forecasting a £824k loss this year and will have negative retained earnings rising to £2.048m.
- TBG says Barnet Homes’ management fee will be cut by £2.763m (6%) from April 2026, and argues this limits what it can agree.
- TBG has costed the key parts of the union claim and still concludes it is “not able to agree”.
- Their own figures show a £15/hour minimum for Barnet Homes would cost £14,150 and affect 27 staff — yet they still refuse the claim overall.
Helen Davies, Barnet UNISON Branch Chair and UNISON SGE rep, said:
“Our members are not numbers on a spreadsheet. They are the housing workers and care staff holding services together every day. TBG’s response is basically ‘we can’t’ — while staff are being asked to cope with rising prices and worsening pressure at work. That’s not good enough. If these services matter, the workforce has to be treated with basic fairness: decent pay, decent terms, and a proper pension.”
What happens next
Barnet UNISON will now consult members on the employer’s response and the next steps in our campaign.
Read TBG full response here: https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026.03.24-TBG-response-to-Barnet-UNISON-Cost-of-Living-Crisis-claims.pdf
End.
Update on Pay Negotiations with TBG
Barnet UNISON recently met with senior representatives from The Barnet Group (TBG) to discuss our 2024/25 pay and terms & conditions claim covering members in YCB and Barnet Homes.
At the meeting, TBG outlined what they describe as significant financial pressures across both organisations. They highlighted:
- Very small projected operating surpluses for the coming year
- Accumulated losses within YCB
- Ongoing pressures linked to council funding and the Housing Revenue Account
- Market challenges within residential care, including difficulties cross-subsidising council placements
They also referenced a recent external benchmarking review of extra care services, which they say shows TBG offering comparatively generous terms and conditions relative to parts of the wider care market.
UNISON’s Position
We made clear that our claim reflects the reality members are living through:
- The cost of living crisis continues to hit housing and care workers hard.
- Pay compression over many years has left many members feeling worse off in real terms.
- In care services in particular, financial strain is severe, with some members telling us they are struggling to meet basic costs.
We emphasised that Barnet Homes and YCB do not function without their workforce. Any discussion about sustainability must include fair and sustainable pay for staff.
We also made clear that TBG is not bound by national NJC negotiations. That is why we have formally submitted our full claim locally and expect meaningful negotiation on all elements.
What Happens Next
TBG has committed to providing full costings for the outstanding elements of our claim, including pension implications. We expect that information before 24 March.
Once negotiations are exhausted, members will be consulted on the employer’s response. That would be a consultative ballot — not a strike ballot — allowing members to decide whether the offer is acceptable or whether further action is required.
This is a challenging negotiation. We recognise the financial arguments being made by the employer — but we also recognise the very real financial pressures our members are facing.
We will continue to press your case firmly and constructively.
Further updates will follow once we receive TBG’s full response.
End.
Cost of Living Crisis: What Barnet UNISON Is Doing — and Why Your Vote Matters
Every week Barnet UNISON speaks to members who are doing essential public service work — and struggling to make ends meet. That should never be normal. Yet in one of the most expensive cities in the world, too many Barnet workers are facing rising rents, higher food bills, increased energy costs, and transport fares that keep going up while pay falls behind.
We are seeing the reality on the ground: members skipping meals, taking second jobs, worrying about heating bills, and telling us they feel worse off now than at any time in their working lives.
Barnet UNISON has not stood back and watched this happen. We have built a coordinated Cost-of-Living response based on organising, bargaining and legal challenge. We are currently running ten separate cost-of-living campaigns across the employers where our members work.
Our 10 Cost of Living Campaigns
1. Equal Pay campaign across three employers
2. Pay claim for housing workers
3. Terms and conditions claim for housing workers
4. LGPS pension claim for housing workers
5. Pay claim for care workers
6. Terms and conditions claim for care workers
7. LGPS pension claim for care workers
8. Holiday payments claim for Barnet Council workers
9. Holiday payments claim for housing and care workers
10. Pay claim for outsourced cleaners
This is one of the most extensive cost-of-living responses our branch has ever mounted. It reflects what members have told us repeatedly: the problem is not one single issue — it is pay, pensions, insecure terms, unpaid entitlements, and historic inequality all combining to squeeze household incomes.
Low Pay in a High-Cost City: The Reality
Low pay is not accidental. It grows when employers hold down wages, delay reviews, outsource services, and maintain unequal pay structures.
Meanwhile, the cost of living in London continues to rise. Housing costs remain among the highest in the country. Inflation over recent years has pushed up the price of everyday essentials. When wages lag behind prices year after year, workers get poorer even while working just as hard — or harder — than before.
That is not sustainable for individuals, for families, or for the services we provide.
What the Union Is Doing — and What Happens Next
Our job as your union is to turn frustration into leverage. That means submitting claims, negotiating firmly, campaigning publicly, using legal routes where appropriate, and — when members support it — preparing for industrial action.
Across all ten campaigns, we are pressing employers to negotiate seriously and settle fairly. Some campaigns focus on immediate pay uplift. Others address structural unfairness that has cost members money over many years. All are about restoring value to your work.
The Most Important Message: Members Decide
There is one point we want to be absolutely clear about:
Members decide.
Ballots matter. Consultations matter. Voting matters. Whether a claim settles, escalates, or moves to the next stage depends on member participation and member votes.
The future of each of these campaigns will not be decided in a boardroom alone — it will be determined by how members vote.
When we organise and vote together, we are strongest.
End.