Category: Uncategorised

UNISON Members in The Barnet Group Vote Yes

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Barnet Homes staff voted 100% and Your Choice Barnet staff voted 97% to move towards an industrial ballot to achieve their aim of having Council terms and conditions restored.

The turnouts mean that they would have confidently beaten the thresholds required by the anti-trade union laws. No longer are these workers prepared to carry out 1st class Council services on 2nd class pay.

The only reason for the existence of Local Authority Trading Companies is for Councils to sidestep Council terms and conditions. They often cite the cost of the pension scheme to the employer. Yet it is senior managers who cost the most in the pension scheme and so we wonder “if it is such a good idea and so good for the Council then instead of forcing the lowest paid into even more inferior terms and conditions, why don’t senior managers lead by example and create one for themselves?”

Barnet UNISON has requested a Special JNCC to impress on The Barnet Group the need to negotiate movement on the demands from the workforce.

This news comes at a time when the Tribunal has ruled that the Equal Pay Claim against The Barnet Group and BELS can proceed to be heard.

We will feedback when we have more developments.

Contacting the Branch

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If you have any questions or need any support please contact the Branch Office

 contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

Or you can call 020 8359 2088, if we are unable to answer the telephone please leave a message speaking slowly and clearly please include your name, telephone number, membership number and a brief message about the assistance you require. We will respond as soon as we can.

Alternatively you can contact UNISON Direct Call Centre by telephone 

08000 857 857 Monday – Friday 6am – Midnight, Saturday 9am – 4pm

or make an online enquiry by clicking the following link

https://www.unison.org.uk/get-help/online-enquiries/

To Join UNISON click the following link 

https://join.unison.org.uk/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 27 January 2026 Barnet Homes housing workers demand fair pay, fair terms and access to LGPS — “time to end this injustice”

Barnet Group, Barnet Homes, Local, Solidarity, TBG Flex, Uncategorised, UNISON Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
27 January 2026

Barnet Homes housing workers demand fair pay, fair terms and access to LGPS — “time to end this injustice”

Barnet UNISON has submitted a formal Pay and Terms & Conditions claim to The Barnet Group (TBG) on behalf of workers delivering Barnet Homes Housing Services in the London Borough of Barnet.

The claim seeks to end what the union describes as a long-running “two-tier workforce”, where staff providing essential council housing services through the local authority trading company are not on Barnet Council terms and conditions and do not have access to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).

Barnet UNISON says it believes these are the only housing workers in London delivering council housing services who remain outside council terms and conditions — and that the situation is now untenable in a city facing extreme housing and cost-of-living pressures.



What Barnet Homes housing workers are demanding (from 1 April 2026)


The claim, submitted for the 2026/27 period, includes:


PAY


A pay increase of £3,000 or 10% (whichever is greater) across pay points/rates


A £15 per hour minimum rate for all staff


Uplifts applied consistently to overtime, enhancements, allowances and other pay-related payments


TERMS & CONDITIONS


A two-hour reduction in the standard working week with no loss of pay


One additional day of annual leave


ENDING THE TWO-TIER WORKFORCE


A commitment to move Barnet Homes staff onto equivalent core terms and conditions to Barnet Council/NJC standards


A single, transparent pay structure with clear progression covering all staff, including those on TBG Flex contracts


PENSIONS


Access to the LGPS, including agreement of a route-map and timetable with relevant stakeholders and no detriment to staff


Barnet UNISON has requested a formal negotiation meeting and has given management four weeks to respond.




“These workers are being exploited in one of the most expensive cities in the world”


Helen Davies, Barnet UNISON Branch Chair and UNISON SGE representative, said:


“Barnet Homes staff deliver vital housing services for residents, yet they are treated as second-class compared to council colleagues. Excluding them from council terms and conditions and the Local Government Pension Scheme is unfair and it has gone on for far too long.


“This is London — one of the most expensive cities in the world — and these workers are being asked to keep services running without the pay, protections and pension that should come with public service work. That is not right.


“It’s time to end this injustice. Our claim is clear: fair pay, fair terms, and access to LGPS for all Barnet Homes housing workers. We are asking The Barnet Group to do the right thing and settle this claim properly.”


Notes to editors


    

  • Barnet UNISON represents workers providing housing services through Barnet Homes, part of The Barnet Group.
    • 

  • The claim covers Barnet Homes staff, including those on TBG contracts and “TBG Flex” contracts.
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  • The union is calling on housing workers to get involved and support the campaign.
    • 



Contact


For more information, interviews, or to support the campaign:

Barnet UNISON – contactus@barnetunison.org.uk


End. 


2026.01.07 leaflet (Barnet Homes) 


 


 

			

		

		
		


	
		
	

		
		
The Barnet Group: Change the Conversation on Pay!
		
		
 
	
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So far workers in Barnet Homes on legacy LBB contracts have received the annual uplift in pay in line with NJC.


Those paid the London Living Wage had an increase in their wages from £11.95 – £13.85 (a 5.3% increase).


At the end of Summer this year all other TBG workers saw their pay increase by 3.2%.


This all falls far short of the pay claim UNISON submitted to The Barnet Group in March this year. We wanted to see: 


    

  • Sick pay raised to Council standard
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  • Shift allowances restored to Council standard
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  • Pay rates for working weekends and bank holidays restored to Council standard
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…amongst other demands (see here for full list Barnet Voice – The Barnet Group – Barnet UNISON)


We did not expect everything to be welcomed or agreed in one go but expected there to be a process of negotiation. It is worth noting that restoring sick pay to Council standards for everyone would cost an estimated £40,000 only!


The Barnet Group has told us they will not negotiate this year as they are awaiting the outcome of the review of the YCB contract. They also say they have no money.


However, whilst we recognise times are tight, we believe there are possibilities for achieving some progress on our demands by looking at other areas for savings. For example:


    

  • Senior pay transparency: Our members note large salaries at senior levels (TBG CEO: £218,643; Council CEO: £212,685; The Barnet Group Ltd Executive Officers cost £1, 093, 000/ year – from accounts to year end 2025).
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  • Agency use: £7,879,000.
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We do not believe a blanket “no” is the right response in these times of extreme difficulty for our members.


Look out for our pay survey coming to you shortly. We recommend you vote YES in our survey to indicate you are serious about achieving positive change in your working conditions. 

			

		

		
		


	
		
	

		
		
Branch Meeting Tuesday 14th October
		
		
 
	
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Barnet UNISON shares the horror and despair many of our members will be feeling following news of recent racist attacks:


    

  • the deadly antisemitic attack in Manchester;
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  • the arson attacks on the Mosque in Sussex and the Britannia Hotel housing refugees (both of which took place with people present in the buildings);
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  • a Summer of Hate directed against refugees with racists feeling emboldened to attack anyone who does not fit into the tight category of being a hetero white British Christian who is not disabled. Predominantly Muslims and Black people have been targeted;
    • 

  • the largest mobilisation ever seen in the UK of the Far Right which degenerated into a series of attacks on Black people and an attempted attack on St Thomas Hospital;
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None of this is inevitable. If you are appalled by these events and want this all to stop, then please do come to Barnet UNISON’s meeting on Anti Racism and Stopping the Far Right.


Next Tuesday 14th October 6.30pm 


 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81332224493?pwd=qRwETOrnan8CgXWEB6cLr1TibozkrI.1


 


Meeting ID: 813 3222 4493


Passcode: 645821


 

			

		

		
		


	
		
			
			
			
	
			  

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