URGENT Street Cleansing meeting 5.45-6.15 am Weds 26 March 1st Floor Depot.
To view flyer click on the link below
https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2025.03.21-STREET-CLEANSING-CONTRACT-CHANGE-1.pdf
Category: Local
Branch campaigns
Our message for our lowest paid members
Depot workers welcome guest speaker on Injuries at Work
Barnet UNISON depot workers welcomed special guest speaker from Thompson’s Solicitors.
The guest speaker spoke about the free services for UNISON members provided by Thompsons.
The main part of the discussion was around reporting accidents at work.
Depot work environment.
In any depot, where loading and unloading, bending and stretching defines the day, the importance of reporting accidents cannot be overstated.
For depot workers, whose labour is physically demanding, even seemingly minor incidents can have significant consequences. A sprained ankle dismissed as a “little twist,” or a cut brushed off as a “scratch,” can escalate into serious, long-term health issues if left unreported.
Reporting accidents is not about assigning blame; it’s about safeguarding wellbeing. It’s about creating a culture where a worker feels empowered to speak up without fear of reprisal. When an accident is reported, it triggers a chain of events designed to prevent recurrence. It allows for a thorough investigation, identifying potential hazards and implementing corrective measures. This not only protects the individual involved but also their colleagues, fostering a safer working environment for everyone.
Moreover, prompt reporting ensures access to necessary medical attention and support. Early intervention can significantly reduce recovery time and prevent complications. Ignoring an injury can lead to chronic pain, reduced mobility, and even permanent disability, impacting not only a worker’s livelihood but also their quality of life.
Ultimately, reporting accidents is a fundamental act of self-preservation. It’s an acknowledgment that a worker’s health and safety are paramount, and that their wellbeing matters. In the demanding environment of a manual depot, where physical resilience is crucial, reporting every incident, no matter how small, is a vital step towards ensuring a safe and healthy working life.
Barnet UNISON will use our #DepotWednesday meetings to remind and encourage our members to work safely and report, report and report.
End.
Depot Wednesday: Injured at Work
To view flyer click on link below
https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/5-March-Injury-At-Work-meeting-1.pdf
Depot Wednesday: Round Changes meeting
To view flyer click on link below.
https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/round-changes-26-feb-003.pdf
Update: Barnet Council Finances
Some Barnet Council staff have been briefed about the Council finances which included confirmation that the Council has had an agreement with the Government for financial support.
At the same time, we are supporting UNISON members who being issued with redundancy notices.
Barnet UNISON is concerned that the Council has not provided a serious response to the recommendations outline in our report which was submitted to the Council last year.
It would be fair to say that feedback from our members is that they feel that once again it is the rest of the workforce which are being asked to take the brunt of the cuts.
In a report to the Employment Sub-Committee a decision to delete a Director role was overturned and the Executive Director has been asked to make a similar saving from lower graded management staff.
Please see below a reminder of the actions UNISON submitted as an alternative to cuts.
To view our report please click on the link below
UNISON response to Barnet Councils Restructure Proposals 2024
Four Day week video
Find out more about Four Day Week at our AGM
Dear Barnet UNISON member
Barnet UNISON is pleased to announce that a joint visit with Barnet UNISON and the Leader of Barnet Council to South Cambridgeshire is being arranged for March this year.
See Headline below
“In 2023, the first ever UK council trial got underway. South Cambridgeshire District Council became the first UK council to trial a four-day week with a three month trial for desk-based staff that began in January 2023. The move involved staff reducing their hours to 30 hours per week and with no loss of pay.”
South Cambridgeshire District Council (UK) https://www.4dayweek.co.uk/case-studies
At a time when our members are worried about redundancies and cuts this revolutionary approach to employment is something that Barnet UNISON feels needs to be explored for our members.
Barnet UNISON has invited Liz Brennan South Cambridgeshire UNISON Branch Secretary to come and speak to members about the Pilot and what it means for UNISON members.
Come along and listen to Liz tell this positive story.
All you need to do is register to join our Barnet UNISON AGM Tuesday 25 February 2025 4-5.30 pm by clicking on the link below.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrd-GorTsrGtQzqR9L3h9L-z1mKymCRU_i
Background Information.
You can read extensive information about the results of Pilot on the South Cambridgeshire website here https://www.scambs.gov.uk/your-council-and-democracy/four-day-working-week
Here are more details about the Four Day week pilots across other employers can be found here https://www.4dayweek.co.uk/
Barnet UNISON.
***Barnet UNISON AGM Tuesday 25 February 2025 4-5.30 pm ***
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.
Barnet Council: “Outsource, outsource and more outsourcing.”
“A Labour Government would oversee the ‘biggest wave of insourcing for a generation,’ deputy leader Angela Rayner has said” (2022)
Fast forward to 2025 and here in Barnet Council the message is clear outsourcing, outsourcing and more outsourcing.
In the last 12 months our cleaners were told they would not be brought back inhouse our parking workers were told late last year that insourcing was not an option and tomorrow Wednesday 5 February Education workers were told that they would remain outside the Council, denying staff access to a public sector pension scheme.
The trade unions all lobbied the Labour Administration and were sent a very clear message that outsourcing is off the table.
We are in the worst cost of living crisis in 77 years and our lowest paid are living in daily fear as to what bills they can pay.
Our outsourced members are the worst impacted as privatisation brings the following:
Job Insecurity and Reduced Benefits:
Private companies often prioritise profit maximisation, which can lead to job cuts, reduced wages, and fewer benefits for workers.
This can create instability and financial hardship for low-paid workers who rely on the steady employment and benefits that public sector jobs often provide.
Erosion of Worker’s Rights:
Privatisation weakens workers’ ability to collectively bargain for better wages and working conditions.
This can lead to a decline in worker’s rights and protections, making low-paid workers more vulnerable to exploitation.
Increased Inequality:
The focus on profit in privatised services can lead to a widening gap between executive pay and the wages of frontline workers.
This exacerbates existing income inequality and can make it even harder for low-paid workers to make ends meet.
We have workers delivering services for Barnet Council with no occupational sick pay, no access to a public sector pension scheme to name a few of the gross inequalities that are rife across the private sector.
UNISON represents outsourced workers in Housing, Social Care, Cleaning, Parking Enforcement, Security, Schools Catering and Education and all are being told there is no room for them in the Barnet Council workforce.
UNISON has a National Policy called Bringing Services Home and Barnet UNISON fully supports this aim and will continue to push for a clear plan and timetable for services to be brought back in-house.
End.