“Unsafe & Unsustainable” – Mental Health Service proposals

At the end of consultation UNISON has submitted a report on behalf of our members which recommends the following:

  1. Reverse the proposed deletion of social work posts.
  2. Reverse the proposed deletion of Principle Practitioner posts.
  3. Enter into urgent negotiations with Trade Unions to address the recruitment & retention crisis for Approved Mental Health Practitioners (AMPH).
  4. Any decision to restructure Mental Health Services must be submitted to General Functions Committee.

A copy of the full report will be sent to our members in Mental Health. Interestingly the restructure also repeats a pattern in the rest of Adults and Communities which is to delete Social Worker roles in favour of radically increasing the numbers of Assessment and Enablement Officers to do the same work but for less pay! We think this is highly risky.

You can read the full report here 2016-10-12-unison-response

 

 

 

 

UNISON: “Stop wasting time on Outsourcing – work with staff and unions”

 

DEPOT WEB

Barnet UNISON have submitted our report to Barnet Council Environmental Committee which is meeting on Thursday 28 September to discuss outsourcing options for Street Scene Services.

One of the biggest risks is not classified as a risk, but a dependency (p37, IOBC). This is very surprising since the ADM “…is operationally dependent on the relocation of the depot facilities. Any delay, or unforeseen amendment, to the depot relocation will not only have a subsequent impact on day-to-day service delivery operations (‘business as usual’) but could also impact the delivery of the ADM.” (Barnet UNISON report 2016) » Read more

BREAKING NEWS: 100% vote to end Term Time Pay in Schools

teaching-assistants-pay

BREAKING NEWS: 100% of Barnet UNISON members working in Barnet Schools voted YES in a Poll to “End to Term-Time Pay in Schools”

The issue of Term Time Pay has reached the attention of national media in recent weeks as a result of a number of disputes of Teaching Assistants in Derby and Durham.

Last week “UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis left the TUC conference in Brighton to join the teaching assistants on Parliament Square.

He told them that all of UNISON’s 1.3 million members were behind them and said “these cuts are happening because of the cruel squeeze on finances from Westminster, as the government continues its austerity fuelled war on public services.”

He also said that how they have been treated by their council is a disgrace.” https://www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2016/09/derby-lobby/

The above report was addressed to the striking Derby Teaching Assistants who came down to the House of Commons to highlight the brutal impact of the 25% pay cut by their employer Derby City Council.

In Durham, Teaching Assistants are facing a 23% pay cut and whilst they are currently being balloted on an offer, the grassroots feedback is that it will be rejected.

The two disputes Derby & Durham have raised the profile for the launch of a wider campaign that has been needed for more than a decade.

In Barnet, UNISON are well aware of the dedication,  hard work and unpaid hours that our members deliver to provide high quality education for children. In particular our members have played a critical role in delivering the inclusion agenda in schools which is something we should all be proud of.

The imposition of Term-Time Pay (TTP) openly discriminates against low paid female workers.

For those unfamiliar with TTP, it is not applicable to Teachers. Teachers are covered by a national agreement and whilst they do work term time only they are paid as full time employees.

However, in the case of the rest of staff working in schools they are not treated a full time employees hence TTP.

In Derby and Durham the teaching assistant are clearly not prepared to lose 25% without a fight.

Barnet UNISON members have confirmed through our Poll that they support the proposal that all staff working in a school should be treated equally with teachers as full time employees.

Recent developments:

In June 2016 at UNISON conference: “UNISON is to campaign for school workers across the UK to be employed during every week of the year, local government delegates in Brighton declared this afternoon.”

https://www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2016/06/unison-pledges-campaign-for-an-end-to-school-workers-term-time-contracts/

In July 2016 at the Durham Miners Gala Jeremy Corbyn gave an electrifying speech and took the opportunity in his speech to issue a message of solidarity for the Durham Teaching Assistants. “Get it sorted!” listen here https://youtu.be/wd8yZLcIFCs

In August 2016 Jeremy Corbyn issued a much more substantial message

“The government must fund teaching assistants every week of the year”

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2016/08/30/jeremy-corbyn-pledge-to-end-term-time-pay-in-schools/

John Burgess, Barnet UNISON Branch Secretary said: “Now that Jeremy has been re-elected Leader of the Labour Party, now is the time to support the UNISON statement made at conference to “campaign for school workers across the UK to be employed during every week of the year.” We are asking all of our members, their family and friends to sign Petition to Prime Minister Theresa May to end Term Time Pay in Schools https://www.change.org/p/theresa-may-mp-end-term-time-pay-in-schools . We all agree in UNISON that Term Time Pay is discriminatory. Time for talking is over. Time for action is now. Solidarity.”

 

Message to Barnet UNISON Library workers – John Burgess

recruiting on a picket line

recruiting on a picket line

To Barnet UNISON Library workers

I wanted to provide you with an update following a meeting with management on Monday 12th September 2016.

Firstly I requested an urgent meeting with the Chief Executive so I can raise my concerns about the proposals and present again another option that negates the need to implement this destruction of the Barnet Library service.  I am due to meet him on Monday 26 September at 10 am. I will report back on this meeting later that week.

I have also requested an urgent meeting with the Leader of the Council. I believe that the proposed destruction of the Library Service is unnecessary and can be avoided.

In our union meeting last week I mentioned that I had seen the agency/consultancy paid by Barnet Council. Below is the agency/consultancy spend for the past four years and at a time when the size of the council workforce is shrinking year on year with outsourcing and redundancies.

  • 2012/13 £12,526,943
  • 2013/14 £13,775,546
  • 2014/15 £15,538,090
  • 2015/16 £17,907,052

In 2015/16 the agency spend increased to £17,907,052

In the first quarter of this financial year the Council has already paid out £6.9 million which, if it continues could see the Council break £20 million on agency/consultants.

In my view the Councils agency/consultancy costs are out of control and as you can all see it is increasing year on year.

The contractors providing agency workers and consultants will charge a commission to the Council. Looking at the figures over the last four years the commission paid to contractors would easily pay the Library savings.

The Council may respond that they are able to stop this escalation and are putting in systems and controls on spend. Well I’m afraid they said that before. Last autumn a resident John Dix asked a question about agency spend and he was told “agency levels should fall by 15% by the end of 2015/16.” (read full response here)

As you can see the spend for 2015/16 was £17,907,052

My offer on the negotiating table is quite simple.

Drop the current proposal and work with staff, residents on building and developing all of the Libraries in Barnet including plans to develop further in response to the rapid growth in the local population.

The savings required by the Library service will be generated by tackling the out of control agency/consultancy spend.

Last week two messages of support were given by Jeremy Corbyn

You can view the message from Jeremy here https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2016/09/20/jeremy-corbyn-backs-barnet-unison-library-workers/

and John here https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2016/09/20/john-mcdonnell-backs-barnet-unison-library-workers/

Strike action

Hugh Jordan will be back week commencing 26 September and a message will be going out in relation to the next strike action we discussed last week in the event the Council continue with their planned destruction.

Barnet UNISON Petition for Library workers

Please sign, get family and friends to sign

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-destruction-of-barnet-library-service-and-the-sacking-of-barnet-library-workers

5th November demo

Be ready to join this national demonstration you can leave comments on facebook link here https://www.facebook.com/events/282708008768589/

Links to Library destruction

‘It is not a transformation, it is a destruction’ – Barnet’s UNISON branch call to save library jobs

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/14737931.___It_is_not_a_transformation__it_is_a_destruction________Barnet___s_UNISON_branch_call_to_save_library_jobs/

A Library without staff what could possibly go wrong?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXmk6I8DdPM

Austerity for whom – in Barnet Council?

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2016/09/17/austerity-for-whom-in-barnet-council/

Barnet UNISON: Further Response to the Library Restructure Staff Consultation

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2016/09/07/further-response-to-the-library-restructure-staff-consultation/

Social Media

You can follow @Barnet_Unison on Twitter

Barnet UNISON Face Book here https://www.facebook.com/BarnetUNISON/

Solidarity

John Burgess

Branch Secretary

Barnet UNISON

 

 

Austerity for whom – in Barnet Council?

 

agency-spend-8-years

Thanks to Barnet Blogger Mr Reasonable for tracking all Barnet Council payments over £500. The data is produced every quarter on the Council web site. All Council must publish this data.

In 2012 Barnet Council employed 2784 staff and consultant spend was £7,732, 269

In 2016 Barnet Council employs 1633 staff and consultant spend was £17, 907,052

For the first quarter of this year Barnet Council has spent £6,926,170 if this is pattern continues the Council could break £20,000,000 on agency/consultancy spend.

On Monday 12 September all Barnet Library staff were brought together to be told that 46% of staff will be sacked.

They are being sacked because this was the only way Barnet Council says they can save £2.85 million

I want to be clear on where Barnet UNISON stand on this disgraceful attack on the Barnet Library service.

This is not a transformation this an expensive destruction of an excellent Library service that only this year received a 93% customer satisfaction rating.

It is simply not sustainable for any politician in Barnet Council to continue to promote Austerity in one of the richest boroughs in London. Furthermore the rapidly growing population of Barnet makes a mockery of the destructive decimation of the Barnet Library service. We need to talking about increasing the Library Service not cutting and making it less safe for children and less accessible for people with disabilities.

The answer is clear for anyone who want to see.

Barnet UNISON has historically challenged senior officers  in Barnet on their dependence on agency/consultancy, each year a new set of senior officers sit round the table and nod and agree that it needs addressing.

But take another look at the figures. They are increasing each year and at the same time the council work force is shrinking.

Then there are the ongoing redundancy payments Barnet Council is funding and remember this Barnet Council also funded the redundancy costs of the hundreds of jobs lost when Capita took over Council services in 2013 and moved jobs to Belfast, Blackburn, Carlisle etc.

Something is seriously wrong.

For the sake of all frontline services which includes social care and Libraries, Barnet Council need to drop the “outsourcing ideology” and tackle the agency/consultancy spend.

It’s not too late, drop the destructive plans for Barnet Library Service and let’s rebuild and support a frontline service that has the backing of Barnet residents.

Initial Response to Libraries Review Staff Consultation, 28th July 2016

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2016/07/29/initial-response-to-libraries-review-staff-consultation/#more-5138

Barnet UNISON response to Barnet Council sacking 46% of Library workers

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2016/09/07/further-response-to-the-library-restructure-staff-consultation/

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