Schools – Barnet UNISON

UNISON Equal Pay Claims Now Extended to The Barnet Group and BELS

8th August 2025 admin Anti - Racism, Austerity, Barnet Group, Barnet Homes, Local, News, Schools, Solidarity, TBG Flex, UNISON Campaign, Your Choice Barnet

Barnet UNISON has confirmed that our ongoing Equal Pay campaign, initially focused on London Borough of Barnet (LBB) staff, has now been extended to include our members working for The Barnet Group (TBG) and Barnet Education and Learning Skills (BELS) — both of which are Local Authority Trading Companies wholly owned by LBB.

The potential scale of the claim is significant:

London Borough of Barnet (including Community Schools): 2,700 staff
The Barnet Group: 900 staff
BELS: 250 staff

Not all of these employees will be claimants, but a substantial number could be affected.

UNISON has been at the forefront of local government equal pay claims for over a decade, securing millions in compensation for members across the UK. Our investigation in Barnet has identified practices — including the use of “task and finish” and bonus payments in Waste & Recycling — that are likely to give rise to Equal Pay claims with reasonable prospects of success.

In light of these findings, we are:

Urging all LBB members on Grades A to K to complete an Equal Pay case form.
Inviting all of our members from TBG and BELS to submit their Equal pay case forms.

To pursue a claim, members must complete the case form with details of their job role, grade, and dates of employment. If you have left or changed your role in the past six months, this must be made clear as Tribunal deadlines are strict.

Download the Equal Pay case form here:
Equal Pay Case Form – Barnet UNISON

Return completed forms to: contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

Barnet UNISON will lodge a collective grievance on behalf of claimants and begin the early conciliation process as the first step towards an Employment Tribunal claim. We will continue to engage constructively with LBB, TBG, and BELS to seek an industrial resolution wherever possible.

Ends

For further information contact:
Barnet UNISON at : contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

Barnet UNISON Launches Potential Equal Pay Claim on Behalf of its female members.

29th July 2025 admin Anti - Racism, Austerity, Barnet Group, Barnet Homes, Housing, Libraries, Local, News, Schools, Solidarity, TBG Flex, UNISON Campaign, Your Choice Barnet

Barnet UNISON is urging its female members in the London Borough of Barnet (LBB) to come forward as the union prepares to launch a collective legal challenge over potential equal pay breaches by the Council.

The move follows extensive investigations into pay practices within LBB, particularly in relation to the use of “task and finish” arrangements in the Waste & Recycling service. UNISON believes there is now sufficient evidence to support equal pay claims with reasonable prospects of success.

John Burgess, Branch Secretary of Barnet UNISON, said:

“The possibility that staff – the majority of whom are women – may have been underpaid for years is deeply concerning, especially in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. Equal Pay is not just a legal right, it’s a fundamental matter of fairness. UNISON is committed to ensuring our members receive the pay they are legally and morally entitled to.”

The union is now asking affected members to complete an Equal Pay case form detailing their job roles, grades, and employment history. This information will allow UNISON to assess each claim and proceed with legal and procedural steps, including lodging a collective grievance and initiating early conciliation.

Barnet UNISON is also reminding staff of the strict six-month legal time limit for making an Equal Pay claim. Anyone who has recently left the Council or changed roles is urged to act quickly.

UNISON has led the fight for Equal Pay in local government for over a decade, winning millions in compensation for underpaid workers. The union will continue to engage in constructive dialogue with Barnet Council while preparing to take legal action where necessary.

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact:

Barnet UNISON at contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

URGENT ACTION REQUIRED : Potential Equal Pay Claim

29th July 2025 admin 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.

Breaking News: “Outsourcing Has Failed Our Children and Our Workers – Bring School Catering Back In-House Now”

18th July 2025 admin Anti - Racism, Austerity, Health and Safety, Local, News, Schools, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

Barnet UNISON is calling on Barnet Council to end the failed outsourcing of school catering and bring the service back in-house.

At the upcoming Cabinet Committee meeting on 21 July 2025, Barnet Council will be asked to approve the continuation of an outsourced school meals contract. Barnet UNISON is demanding the Council reverse this recommendation and recognise the devastating impact outsourcing has had on schoolchildren, workers, and Barnet’s local economy.

John Burgess, Barnet UNISON Branch Secretary, said:
“For over a decade Barnet UNISON has warned of the dangers of outsourcing. Those warnings were ignored – and the result has been catastrophic. Low-paid Black women workers dismissed, children denied hot meals, and a kosher kitchen built with public money now left empty. Enough is enough.”

The Case Against Outsourcing:

❌ Children Left Without Hot Meals: Barnet pupils were denied nutritious school meals due to the collapse of the kosher meal service.
❌ Black Female Workers Dismissed: 41 Black catering staff lost their jobs when the kosher kitchen service collapsed. Only the trade union fought to secure their redundancy pay.
❌ Wasted Public Assets: Barnet now has a kosher kitchen standing idle – a visible symbol of outsourcing gone wrong.
❌ Poor Pay and No Pensions: Catering workers are excluded from the Local Government Pension Scheme and face poverty wages, resulting in reliance on housing benefits and in-work support – costs borne by the taxpayer.
❌ A False Economy: Barnet claims savings, but the reality is a transfer of cost from the Council to the welfare state, undermining long-term financial sustainability.

A Better Alternative: In-House Services

Barnet Council ran a successful in-house school catering service for decades. In 2014–15, it generated a £190,000 surplus. Schools had confidence in the service and trusted its quality and reliability.

There has been no serious financial modelling on bringing the service back in-house. Despite citing inflation and “market pressures,” the current Cabinet report presents no updated analysis of how in-house provision could now be rebuilt to meet modern needs.

Council Equality Commitments Undermined

Barnet Council’s corporate values include a commitment to equality and inclusion, yet outsourcing has overwhelmingly harmed Black, female, low-paid workers – a group protected under the Equality Act 2010.

“This decision contradicts the Council’s equality duties,”.

“How can you talk about inclusion while outsourcing continues to hurt the very communities you claim to support?”

Labour Party Policy Backs Our Call

Ending Outsourcing: Labour’s 2021 Conference endorsed the “biggest wave of insourcing in a generation,” including school services such as catering.
Tackling In-Work Poverty: Labour’s platform includes stronger rights at work, a real living wage, secure pensions, and an end to exploitative contracts.
Racial Justice at Work: Outsourcing has been shown to disproportionately harm Black workers. Labour-aligned campaigns highlight insourcing as a racial justice imperative.
Community Wealth Building: Labour supports local procurement and public ownership to retain wealth and secure good jobs in our communities.

Continuing to outsource the school meals contract undermines Labour values in one of the most diverse boroughs in the UK.

UNISON Demands:

Immediately halt the outsourcing procurement.
Publish a full Equality Impact Assessment.
Commission an updated in-house service feasibility report.
Bring Barnet’s school meals service back in-house.

For further information or interview requests, please contact:

Barnet UNISON at contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

To read Barnet UNISON report submitted to Cabinet Committee 22 July 2025 click on link below

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Barnet-UNISON-Report-Schools-Catering-2025.pdf

End.

Special Offer to Barnet UNISON members – Your health and wellbeing

25th June 2025 admin 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:

via our website: https://shawtrust.org.uk/workwell-north-central-london/
Via email: workwellnorth@shaw-trust.org.uk
Or over the phone: 0808 196 2386

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.

“3.2% is not good enough – members deserve better!”

28th April 2025 admin Anti - Racism, Austerity, Barnet Group, Barnet Homes, Demonstration, Disability, Health and Safety, Housing, Libraries, News, Pensions, Schools, Solidarity, TBG Flex, UNISON Campaign, Your Choice Barnet

The news is that the response of the employers to the joint trade union National Pay claim for £3,000 is 3.2%.

Barnet UNISON members can view what 3.2% means to their grade by clicking on the link below

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2025/04/24/national-pay-offer-3-2/

UNISON members know that their pay has fallen behind the cost of living and that they are “all now working one day a week for free.”

If we continue to fail to negotiate a pay award that directly deals with the cost-of-living crisis, soon public sector workers will be working “two days a week for free.”

We are in the worst cost-of-living crisis in 77 years.

Politicians seeking to confuse and defend poor pay talk about inflation rates falling as if that has improved things for our members.

Speaking to some of our lowest paid members in care homes, depots, and schools, they are seriously struggling to survive on poverty wages.

Inflation may go up and down, but prices are not going down and they keep rising:

50% rise in local Bus Fares
41% rise in Water Bills
22% rise in Stamp prices
18.4% rise in Energy Bills
16% rise Rail Cards
14% rise in Tuition Fees
4.99% rise in Council Tax
4.6% rise in Rail Fares

Whilst the poor are getting poorer, and the rich are getting richer.

We have been here before in 2009 our Barnet UNISON Branch Secretary set out his serious concerns in a letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown 24 June 2009

“Barnet Council has made efficiency savings of £80.9m over 7 years, £58.8m in the last 5 years”

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/NO_PRIMEMINISTER_0.pdf

15 years ago, Barnet UNISON had concerns about poverty, privatisation and the emergence of the Far-Right politics. In Barnet Council we had hundreds of redundancies for several years as the Council claimed they were not being funded. Things haven’t changed and we had our first round of redundancies last December due to the current financial crisis.

What is clear is that the voices of our members across the Council across workplaces, be it a school, a depot, care home or day centre need to be heard and LOUDLY.

Barnet Council is lobbying the government for more funding, but there needs to be more pressure than that. We all need to add our voices for more funding

We are asking our members to sign the following Petition to Angela Rayner (who used to be a UNISON rep). This petition is not just for our members but can be signed by members’ family and friends or anyone who wants to see an end to the destruction of public services.

https://chng.it/6DSvxfZqhz

end.

Message to all of our Barnet UNISON schools members

7th April 2025 admin Anti - Racism, Austerity, Local, National, News, Schools, UNISON Campaign

Dear Barnet UNISON

In early February, Barnet UNISON wrote to every school in Barnet seeking permission to speak to our members about the new School Support Staff National Negotiating Body (SSSNB) which will be established for all school support staff in England, including those working in academies and multi academy trusts.

You can view the letter to your school by clicking on the link below.

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/2025.01.20-Letter-to-headteacher.pdf

Our Assistant Branch Secretary Beverley Berwick has already started visiting schools speaking with members and the Head about the SSSNB.

This is likely to be the biggest change of our members in schools in a generation which is why we are keen to speak to our members.

If you are interested in helping to arrange a visit in your school, please email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk and request a visit.

End.

Background:

Read more about SSSNB click on link below

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SSSNB-members-briefing.pdf

Message of solidarity to Tower Hamlets strikers on St Lukes school picket line

1st April 2025 admin Anti - Racism, Austerity, Local, News, Schools, Solidarity, Trades Dispute, UNISON Campaign

On behalf of our branch Barnet UNISON sends our unwavering solidarity and support to you and your NEU colleagues as you take strike action on the 1st and 3rd of April.

We stand with you in your fight against the proposed cuts to Teaching Assistant roles, a move that will undoubtedly have a devastating impact on the quality of education and the workload of all staff.

Your determination to defend education and demand reasonable workloads is an inspiration to us all. We recognise the vital role Teaching Assistants play in supporting students and teachers, and we condemn any attempt to diminish their contribution.

We understand the pressures you face and commend your courage in taking this stand. We will be sharing your message of resistance throughout our branch and encouraging our members to send messages of support.

We wish you a strong and successful strike. We are with you in this fight for fair working conditions and the future of education.

End.