Category: Membership

What grade am I on – and how does it link to National Pay?

Austerity, Membership, News, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

*Above are Barnet Council Grades as from 1 April 2025*

Barnet UNISON published the London Borough of Barnet pay and grading structure from 1 April 2025 (Grades A–M and senior grades 8–1, showing the minimum and maximum salary for each grade).

But we know a lot of members still ask:

  • What grade am I actually on?
  • What does “minimum” and “maximum” mean?
  • How do I move up within my grade (and when do I move up a grade)?
  • How does this connect to the National Pay Award?

How the grades work (in plain English)

1) Your grade is attached to your post (job), not to you as a person.
Barnet uses a job evaluation scheme to decide which grade a post sits in. The grade has a pay range (a minimum entry point and a maximum “fully competent” point). (barnet.moderngov.co.uk)

2) Movement within a grade is progression up the pay range.
Progression takes you from the lower end towards the top of your grade. Barnet’s Pay Policy has described progression within grades A–M as linked to performance levels until you reach the top of the grade. (barnet.moderngov.co.uk)

3) Moving up a grade usually means changing the job, not “time served”.
In most cases, the way you move to a higher grade is by getting a higher-graded post (promotion/restructure), or by a formal job evaluation/re-grading process if the job has genuinely changed.

4) National Pay affects your salary even though Barnet has local grades.
Local government unions negotiate a National Pay Award, and Barnet then applies the uplift to the local pay structure—this is why you’ll see Barnet UNISON publishing updated grades “including the National Pay increase”, often with backdating to 1 April. (barnetunison.me.uk)

How to find your grade quickly

Most members can find it on one (or more) of these:

  • your contract / statement of particulars
  • your job description or advert for the role
  • your payslip / HR portal (where it lists grade or salary details)
  • by asking your manager/HR (and if you hit problems, contact the union)

Book a Barnet UNISON Grade Briefing for your workplace

Barnet UNISON can organise a short “Grade Briefing” for your team in a school, depot, office or service — in person or online.

In the session we can cover:

  • how Barnet’s grades A–M and 8–1 work (min/max pay)
  • how progression works within a grade (and what to do if it isn’t happening fairly) (barnet.moderngov.co.uk)
  • how the National Pay Award feeds into Barnet grades and backpay (barnetunison.me.uk)
  • what to do if you think your grade is wrong (re-grading/job evaluation routes)
  • Q&A on payslips, overtime rates, part-time/term-time issues (where relevant)

To book a briefing, email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk or call 020 8359 2088 with:

  • workplace/service (e.g. school, depot)
  • preferred format (in-person/online)
  • a couple of suggested dates/times
  • approximate numbers attending

Barnet UNISON contact details: Room 1.9, 2 Bristol Avenue, Colindale, London NW9 4EW.

End.

 

 

 

 

For immediate release Equal Pay Storm Builds in Barnet – Hundreds Join the Claim

Austerity, Barnet Group, Barnet Homes, Local, Membership, News, Schools, TBG Flex, UNISON Campaign, Your Choice Barnet

Union says Barnet must follow other councils who’ve settled multimillion-pound Equal Pay cases

Barnet UNISON has confirmed that hundreds of council and school staff have already signed up to join its growing Equal Pay claim, as pressure mounts on the Council to follow the lead of other local authorities who have recently reached multi-million-pound settlements.

The branch reports an overwhelming response from members, with workers across the borough requesting UNISON visits to their schools, offices, and depots to sign up and protect their legal rights.

Recent settlements at Southampton City Council (£49.2 million) and Sheffield City Council (£36 million) have inspired Barnet staff to demand action on long-standing pay inequalities.

Branch Secretary of Barnet UNISON, said:
“The message from our members could not be clearer – if Southampton and Sheffield can settle, then so can Barnet.
Hundreds of mainly low-paid women have already joined this claim because they want fairness, respect, and justice. In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, they shouldn’t have to fight to be paid equally for work of equal value.”

UNISON has announced weekly Equal Pay Surgeries every Tuesday in October at the Colindale UNISON Office, where members can get advice and complete their Equal Pay case forms.

The branch is calling on Barnet Council to work with the unions to reach a fair settlement and avoid a protracted legal battle.

UNISON added:
“Barnet workers have waited long enough. Our members are organised, determined, and ready to see this Equal Pay claim resolved.”

Notes to editors:

  • The Southampton settlement (July 2025) involved 800 staff and was valued at £49.2 million.
  • The Sheffield settlement (September 2025) involved 3,600 staff in 260 roles and was valued at £36 million.
  • Barnet UNISON represents staff employed by Barnet Council, The Barnet Group (TBG), and Barnet Education & Learning Service (BELS).

📅 Equal Pay Surgeries: Every Tuesday in October
📍 UNISON Office, Colindale
📧 contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

ENDS

Money for Agency Companies and Capita – But Not for Our Members or Services

Local, Membership, News, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

Barnet UNISON members are being told there’s no money – cuts to jobs, services and even our paid time off to represent you are being pushed through.

Yet at the same time, Barnet Council’s spending on agency staff, consultants and Capita has reached record levels.

The reality:

  • £24.02 million spent on agency workers in the last year – an all‑time high.
  • £27.03 million paid to Capita in the same year – even though their role is now limited to Customer Services, IT, Revenues and Benefits (and Payroll has now been taken back in‑house from April 2025).
  • Meanwhile, frontline services and trade union facility time are under attack.

We have been here before. During last year’s redundancy consultations, the Council told staff the cuts were unavoidable because of the financial crisis. They promised to look at savings and new income streams.
Barnet UNISON set out clear concerns in our briefing, Three Chief Executives and a Plumber (read here), including the spiralling costs of agency staff and Capita contracts. Sadly, those warnings were ignored.

More questionable spending decisions

  • The Council depot is being partly handed back to Network Rail – forcing the Council to rent expensive alternative premises despite claiming there’s “no money”.
  • Staff at Colindale are now facing consultation on charging for car parking. One member summed up the feeling:
    “They took away the water, then the tea and coffee, and now they want to take away the free parking. What’s next?”

What happens next?
We are now waiting for the next chapter in the Council’s cost‑cutting plan: a report from consultants Peopletoo is due to be considered by Cabinet on Tuesday 16 September. This will set out their proposals for “savings” and “income generation”.

Barnet UNISON will keep members updated as soon as we know more – and we will continue to challenge a system that finds millions for agency staff and Capita but claims it can’t fund the people and services our community depends on.

URGENT ACTION REQUIRED : Potential Equal Pay Claim

Austerity, Barnet Group, Barnet Homes, Housing, Local, Membership, News, Schools, Solidarity, Trades Dispute, UNISON Campaign, Your Choice Barnet

As you may be aware, there has been a lot of recent activity regarding potential equal pay claims in the London Borough of Barnet (LBB).

As the UK’s largest union, UNISON has led on equal pay within local government for over a decade and has recovered £millions in compensation for our members. We take the issue extremely seriously.

We appreciate that the prospect of being underpaid due to your gender in a cost-of-living crisis is especially emotive, however, Equal Pay legislation is complex, and UNISON has been carrying out investigations into a number of discriminatory pay practices that have been identified.

We wanted to understand the facts and consider the legal position so we can advise members appropriately. As a result of our investigations, we understand that in the Waste & Recycling service, the Council operates a practice of task and finish and has made bonus payments.

We are now satisfied that there is evidence that is likely to give rise to equal pay claims against LBB with reasonable prospects of success. This is of course dependent on your individual circumstances, and we will require members to complete case forms so that we can confirm whether your individual circumstances are captured within the potential claims we’ve identified. You must provide details of your job role, grade and dates of your employment.

If you have multiple job roles, we need this information for all of them. In order to pursue a claim, you can download an equal pay case form along with guidance on how to complete it.

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2025.07.28-Barnet-UNISON-Caseform-London-Borough-of-Barnet-updated-with-NI-number.docx

Please return your completed case form to contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

at your earliest convenience.

In tandem with the legal process, we must also exhaust internal procedures by lodging collective grievance. Once we have received your case form, we will add your name to the collective grievance that we will send to the Council. In addition, we will shortly arrange to start early conciliation on your behalf. This is the pre-requisite to starting a Tribunal claim.

Please be aware of time limits. To pursue a claim for equal pay, the claim must be lodged in the Tribunal within 6 months less one day of the end of your employment or a change in your employment. If you have left the Council in the past 6 months, or if you have changed your role in the last 6 months, please make this clear on the case form.

Please be assured that we will continue to maintain a constructive dialogue with your employer and seek to resolve matters industrially, wherever possible.

We will also keep you updated as to the progress of any negotiations/claims whenever there are any significant developments.

 

End.

Special Offer to Barnet UNISON members – Your health and wellbeing

Austerity, Health and Safety, Local, Membership, News, Schools, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

Barnet UNISON Supporting Statement:

Barnet UNISON is pleased to share the launch of the WorkWell North-Central London programme with our members. This free, government-funded initiative offers vital early-intervention support for workers managing health and wellbeing challenges in the workplace.

We know how important it is for our members to have access to timely, practical support—especially when facing health-related barriers to work. WorkWell provides personalised coaching, expert referrals, and connections to local services, all designed to help employees stay well at work or return to work with confidence.

We strongly encourage any members living in or registered with a GP in Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, Camden, or Islington to consider this opportunity. Whether you’re currently off work or simply looking for support to stay well in your role, WorkWell could make a real difference.

Barnet UNISON is proud to support initiatives like this that prioritise the health and dignity of workers. If you have any questions or need help with a referral, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Please seee details of the offer below

In solidarity,

Barnet UNISON Branch

WorkWell North-Central London Offer 

Members of Barnet UNSION and beyond are invited to take part in WorkWell North-Central London, a free, government funded, pilot work and health programme. WorkWell aims to help employees manage their health and wellbeing at work, reduce sickness absences, and enable a faster return to work for those who are signed off sick.

We are an early-intervention service, focused on positive health outcomes. Employees who join our programme will be offered 8, weekly coaching sessions to help them identify their health barriers and come up with a plan to overcome them.

On top of personalised coaching sessions, WorkWell helps people navigate the various local provisions on offer through our connections with publicly funded services and voluntary/community organisations. The programme also makes internal referrals to our team of experts in the fields of physical health, mental health, and employment. At the end of the 8 weeks with WorkWell, employees can expect to be equipped with an action plan and signposting to a more specialist service if required.

Employees can refer themselves directly, or UNISON reps are welcome to make referrals on behalf of their colleagues so long as they have their express permission. This can be done:

WorkWell is free to use as it is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Health and Social Care. Shaw Trust has been commissioned to deliver WorkWell North-Central London by the North Central London Integrated Care System.

At present we can accept referrals from people living in, or with a GP in: Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, Camden, and Islington. For those in Westminster, Kensington & Chealsea, Brent, Hammersmith & Fulham, Ealing, Harrow, Hounslow, and Hillingdon, we will gladly make an onward referral to WorkWell West-Central London.

End.

***Barnet UNISON AGM Tuesday 25 February 2025 4-5.30 pm ***

Anti - Racism, Austerity, Health and Safety, Housing, Libraries, Local, London Living Wage, Membership, News, Schools, Solidarity, TBG Flex, UNISON Campaign, Your Choice Barnet

It is your democratic right to attend and participate in your UNISON AGM.

It is important that members register to attend.

You have two choices:

You can join in person at the Colindale office, or you can join online.

Please click on the link below to register to join the meeting.

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrd-GorTsrGtQzqR9L3h9L-z1mKymCRU_i

End.

 

UNISON National Pay ballot : Frequently Asked Questions 2024

Austerity, Membership, National, News, Recruitment, Schools, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

1. What was the UNISON pay claim?

UNISON, alongside the other Local Government trade unions Unite and GMB, submitted a claim for an increase of £3,000 or 10%, whichever is the highest at every pay point. In addition, the claim also included a 2 hour reduction in the working week with no pay detriment, an additional day annual leave, and reviews of discriminatory pay gaps

 

2. What did the employers offer?

The employers offered an increase of £1,481 or 2.5%, whichever is the highest and rejected everything else.

 

3. Why is UNISON balloting us?

Yet again, the pay offer from our employers is another pay cut in real terms. We’ve had years of pay cuts and we have to say enough is enough. School and council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are being balloted.

 

4. When will I get my ballot paper?

The ballot opened on 4 September. Ballot papers will start arriving over the next few days – they are being sent out in batches because there’s about 360,000 UNISON members in schools and councils!

 

5. Is UNISON recommending how to vote?

Yes, and YES! UNISON has rejected the employers offer, and is recommending to all members to vote YES for strike action

 

6. Shouldn’t UNISON be negotiating first?

UNISON reps spent weeks negotiating with the employers, but they wouldn’t increase their offer. So now we need to make it clear how serious we are about getting a decent pay rise.

 

7. Will my vote really make a difference?

Definitely – every single vote will make a difference. That’s because we have some really restrictive anti-union laws – so we can’t vote online, and over 50% of members must vote.

 

8. How will I know when I get my ballot paper?

It will arrive in an A5 bright purple envelope, it will have the UNISON logo on the front and will also say in large letters Stand Together For Better Pay, Council and School Pay 2024 on the front. It should be hard to miss!

 

9. How do I vote?

In the bright purple envelope, you will have a ballot paper – you put a X in one of the boxes (preferably YES) and then use the pre-paid, pre-addressed envelope to post the paper back to CES who are running the ballot for UNISON.

 

10. When do I need to return my ballot paper?

Your ballot paper must be returned before 16 October 10am. CES need to have received it by then, so really just complete and post it back as soon as you receive it.

 

11. What if I don’t get a ballot paper?

If you haven’t had a ballot paper by 17 September, then call the Hotline immediately on 0800 0857 857 and they will check your address and send out a replacement paper

 

12. I’ve heard people say it’s a disaggregated ballot? What’s that?

A disaggregated ballot means that we are all being balloted by employer. So for instance in Barnet, we have over 20 separate ballots – some smaller ones in schools that pay NJC pay, plus one for council workers and school workers still employed by Barnet. This is the same in every branch in the country. We need to get over 50% in as many of those ballots as possible.

 

13. If a workmate joins now will they get a ballot paper?

Someone not already in UNISON has until 3 October to join if they want to have a vote. They can join here: Join UNISON and get essential cover

 

14. Can people not in UNISON go on strike?

Yes, but we would always encourage someone to be in a union if they are going to strike. Plus, they wouldn’t be eligible for any strike pay unless they join the union taking strike action!

 

15. Can agency/contract workers join and strike?

Yes, agency workers can join UNISON and can go on strike

 

16. Will I get strike pay?

UNISON pays £50 a day strike pay. This amount can be changed depending on how many members are taking strike action. As soon as the ballot result is known, there will be discussions and decisions made about where strikes will be and about strike pay. If we get over 50% turnout and a YES vote for action, we will keep you updated about strike dates and pay. Details on how to claim it will be available when needed.

 

17. If we strike, we’ll lose money even with strike pay. Is it worth striking?

When we take strike action, we win more money overall than we lose. We know it’s difficult to lose money, but without taking action we know we’ll be worse off this year already. However, if we stand together, get the vote out and fight back, we can win more.

 

18. When we win, will the pay be backdated?

Yes, back to 1 April 2024

 

19. Do you know when we’ll get the money?

That will depend on when the employers give in and agree to our pay claim!

 

20. If someone isn’t in UNISON will they also get the pay rise?

Yes, but we have more chance of getting a better pay rise if we are stronger, so ask anyone not in UNISON to join and get involved to help us win for everyone!

 

21. Where can I find out more?

You can come to the visit the Barnet UNISON media channels where we are publishing updated information about the strike ballot on a regular basis.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/barnet_unison

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarnetUNISON

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barnetunison/

Website:  https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/

 

End.

 

Breaking News: Barnet Council Mental Health social workers to be balloted for strike action.

Austerity, Membership, News, Report, Solidarity, Trades Dispute, UNISON Campaign

13 June 2023

Barnet UNISON has today submitted their application for the UNISON Industrial Action Committee (IAC) to approve their call for members working across the following Mental Health Services Teams to be balloted for strike action.

  1. Mental Health Team – North
  2. Mental Health Team – South
  3. Approved Mental Health Practitioners Service.

The ballot is in relation to the chronic staffing issues across these services.

Barnet UNISON proposed that the Council enter into urgent negotiations over the implementation of the Council’s Recruitment and Retention Policy (RRP) for Mental Health Services as a short-term solution to try to hold on to existing staff whilst developing a more comprehensive plan to make Barnet Mental Health social work service one in which staff want to stay. The RRP has been used in Family Services social work for the last 6 six years and has recently increased the rate up to 25% in recognition of the serious RR issues in some parts of Family Services.

Key date dates of meetings to resolve the dispute: 

  1. Friday 24 February 2023 John Burgess Branch Secretary emails Executive Director – Communities, Adults and Health seeking an urgent meeting.
  2. Friday 10 March 2023 meeting with UNISON and Executive Director – Communities, Adults and Health. No agreement.
  3. Wednesday 12 April 2023 Adults JNCC UNISON and Executive Director – Communities, Adults and Health. No agreement.
  4. Wednesday 12 April 2023 John Burgess emails Chief Executive, requesting an emergency JNCG.
  5. Thursday Meeting 18 May 2023 JNCG. No agreement reached UNISON registers a Failure to Agree.

At the third and final meeting with the Chief Executive (18 May 2023) the ongoing lack of meaningful engagement on this matter was summed up at the start of the meeting when the Chief Executive advised he could only stay for 15 minutes.  This meeting had been requested by UNISON as per the procedures. The key decision maker is the Chief Executive who would have been briefed by senior council officers and would be aware that UNISON had already stated that if an agreement could not be found they would issue a request for a formal strike ballot.

In the final meeting UNISON announced that during the first three months of 2023 the following staff have left:

  • 2 Lead Practitioners.
  • 2 Senior Social Workers.
  • 2 Social Workers.
  • 3 Locums.

The two teams have a current establishment of 22 so a loss of 9 staff in a short space of time is further evidence of the chronic staffing issues in frontline mental health teams.

At the end of the meeting UNISON submitted their report and all the supporting documents.

In addition to the recent loss of staff UNISON provided feedback on the outcome of a survey of our members working across the teams.

1. Do think you are working in a safe working environment?

100% of members replied, NO.

2. Have you considered leaving your current role within LBB in the last few months?

100% of members replied, YES.

3. Do you think your salary is fair for the role you carry out?

95% of members replied, NO.

4. Do you think that you should be entitled to RRP?

100% of members replied, YES.

The responses were deeply troubling, and UNISON would have thought an employer would be concerned and want to address these issues. To date UNISON has had no response from senior management despite UNISON stating the door is open.

If management wanted to send a message to the workforce, they couldn’t make is clearer that staff views and their union are not worthy of a response.

End.

Notes to Editors.

Contact details: Barnet UNISON on 0208 359 2088 or email:contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

Background:

UNISON calls for urgent action over chronic shortages of frontline Mental Health social workers.

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2023/03/22/unison-calls-for-urgent-action-over-chronic-shortages-of-frontline-mental-health-social-workers/

 

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