Category: Uncategorised

Dear Colleagues

Strike Action

Barnet UNISON has called for industrial action in Barnet Libraries on the following dates:

• Saturday 5^th of November 2016 

• Saturday 12^th of November 2016 

• Monday 28^th of November to Friday 3^rd of December 2016

This is in pursuance of our dispute with the Council over the outsourcing of the Library Service. The Council plans to hand 4 of our Libraries to “Community groups, not-for-profit and voluntary organisations” in April 2017. The Council plans to outsource the remaining Libraries at a future date.

“The Council will continue to explore the opportunity to develop an alternative model for the management of Library Services as part of a later phase of the Library Service review once the future model for the service is agreed by the Council.

(Appendix A: Future of Barnet Libraries 4.2.11 Alternative Delivery Models) » Read more

Unified Pay Update 18 October 2016

To: All Barnet UNISON members employed directly by Barnet Council (including schools) only.

Contact details: Members can contact the branch on 0208 359 2088 or email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

Collective issues

For example where there are number of workers with the same job description all raising the same issue for example Nursery Nurses, TA’s on 52 week contracts, Coach Escorts. Meal Time Supervisors. » Read more

Colleagues at Barnet House will be amused to read the conclusion of the Health and Safety Report into the confused evacuation process at Barnet House on 27th September – that it’s all the fault of staff not obeying the fire wardens. Never mind that a number of staff members experienced being given conflicting messages (not necessarily from fire wardens). Of course if a fire warden instructs colleagues to leave the building then this is what we must do, but do we detect a culture of managerial abdication in the face of Health and Safety concerns? » Read more

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

 

 

 

 

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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% 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.”