Barnet UNISON mass meeting of depot workers – 6 November 2024 5.45-6.15 am
To view flyer 6 NOV DEPOT WEDNESDAY FLYER
https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/6-NOV-DEPOT-WEDNESDAY-FLYER.pdf
Category: Local
Branch campaigns
Big solidarity from Jim Morris Knight, UNISON representative of the environment agencies on water, environment and transport.
Introduction.
Barnet UNISON is a proud active fighting UNISON branch with a long history of backing our members when they want to fight back.
We have been consistently one of the highest recruiting UNISON branches in London and recently achieved a lawful strike ballot on in the UNISON National Pay ballot.
When are members are in dispute it is important that strikers receive support from others within the wider UNISON family and across the trade union movement.
Below is a message of support for our Barnet UNISON mental health social worker strikers.
Jordan Rivera UNISON NEC rep for NHS workers sends solidarity message to our mental health social workers strikers
Introduction.
Barnet UNISON is a proud active fighting UNISON branch with a long history of backing our members when they want to fight back.
We have been consistently one of the highest recruiting UNISON branches in London and recently achieved a lawful strike ballot on in the UNISON National Pay ballot.
When are members are in dispute it is important that strikers receive support from others within the wider UNISON family and across the trade union movement.
Below is a message of support for our Barnet UNISON strikers.
Andrea Egan NEC National rep sending solidarity to our mental health social worker strikers
Introduction.
Barnet UNISON is a proud active fighting UNISON branch with a long history of backing our members when they want to fight back.
We have been consistently one of the highest recruiting UNISON branches in London and recently achieved a lawful strike ballot on in the UNISON National Pay ballot.
When are members are in dispute it is important that strikers receive support from others within the wider UNISON family and across the trade union movement.
Below is a message of support for our Barnet UNISON strikers.
John McDonnell MP backing our mental health social worker strikers
Introduction.
Barnet UNISON is a proud active fighting UNISON branch with a long history of backing our members when they want to fight back.
We have been consistently one of the highest recruiting UNISON branches in London and recently achieved a lawful strike ballot on in the UNISON National Pay ballot.
When are members are in dispute it is important that strikers receive support from others within the wider UNISON family and across the trade union movement.
Below is a message of support for our Barnet UNISON strikers.
Liz Wheatley UNISON NEC rep for London sending solidarity to our mental health social workers strikers
Introduction.
Barnet UNISON is a proud active fighting UNISON branch with a long history of backing our members when they want to fight back.
We have been consistently one of the highest recruiting UNISON branches in London and recently achieved a lawful strike ballot on in the UNISON National Pay ballot.
When are members are in dispute it is important that strikers receive support from others within the wider UNISON family and across the trade union movement.
Below is a message of support for our Barnet UNISON strikers.
Gaby Lawler UNISON SGE rep for London sending another message of support to our mental health social worker strikers
Introduction.
Barnet UNISON is a proud active fighting UNISON branch with a long history of backing our members when they want to fight back.
We have been consistently one of the highest recruiting UNISON branches in London and recently achieved a lawful strike ballot on in the UNISON National Pay ballot.
When are members are in dispute it is important that strikers receive support from others within the wider UNISON family and across the trade union movement.
Below is a message of support for our Barnet UNISON strikers.
Big Thanks to Libby Nolan former #UNISON President
Introduction.
Barnet UNISON is a proud active fighting UNISON branch with a long history of backing our members when they want to fight back.
We have been consistently one of the highest recruiting UNISON branches in London and recently achieved a lawful strike ballot on in the UNISON National Pay ballot.
When are members are in dispute it is important that strikers receive support from others within the wider UNISON family and across the trade union movement.
Below is a message of support for our Barnet UNISON strikers.
Big Thanks to Libby Nolan former #UNISON President and #UNISON NEC rep for showing ongoing solidarity with our Barnet UNISON mental health social workers
400 days since the dispute first began. 81 days of strike action.
Shame on @BarnetCouncil
#UnsafeWorkplace
Barnet Council and The Barnet Group cut tea and coffee to staff
Barnet Council announced last week that they would be ending tea and coffee for their staff in the workplace. The Barnet Group a local authority trading company 100% owned by Barnet Council has made the same statement to their staff.
“Things must be bad to if the employer believes that this cut will help address the financial crisis facing Barnet Council. How much is this really going to save? This message is not going down well with staff across both employers. Our members are more interested in whether the Council has a grip on millions they keep handing over to Agencies and Consultants (£20 million last year) or the millions given to Capita (£24 million) last year. The Council need to rethink this decision.” John Burgess, Branch Secretary, Barnet UNISON.
Press Release: Mass exodus of mental health social workers risks total collapse of services.
Barnet UNISON mental health social workers dispute with Barnet Council since 1 September 2023 has been over the failure to agree a recruitment and retention payment due to high turnover of staff across three mental health social worker teams.
On Monday 15 July 2024 UNISON wrote to Barnet Council suspending strike action and agreeing to go into talks to try and resolve the dispute.
Unfortunately talks broke down as it became clear in the meeting that Barnet Council was not prepared to reconsider their position.
The following facts provide a glimpse of the scale of the crisis facing Barnet Council.
- 50% of the permanent workforce will have left one of the three mental health social work team workforce since 1 January 2024.
- 31 mental health social workers will have left one of the three mental health social work teams in the last two years.
- 12 mental health social workers have left the mental health social work team North in the last two years.
- 19 mental health social workers have left the mental health social work team South in the last two years.
- Did you know that 40% of AMHPs have left the AMHP team in the last two months.
- 100% of AMHPs across the North and South mental health teams resigned and left the Council by the end of August 2024.
- In July 2023 Barnet Council informed UNISON that they had a budget of £266k to resolve this dispute.
- In a meeting with Acas in March 2024 with UNISON they doubled their budget to £532k.
- It would cost £150k to settle this dispute
You can read more facts about this dispute here on our website http://All you need to know about Barnet UNISON mental health social worker strike https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2024/09/04/all-you-need-to-know-about-barnet-unison-mental-health-social-worker-strike/
At our last meeting with Barnet Council our reps informed senior management that they were leaving because it had become clear that Barnet Council does not value their staff or service users. Our members strongly believe that it is not safe to practice as a mental health social worker in the three frontline mental health teams.
“It has become apparently clear that Barnet Council has chosen confrontation rather than negotiation to resolve this high-profile dispute. It is not about the money because we know there is a pot three times bigger than what would be needed to bring this dispute to a close. The sheer scale of the numbers of social workers leaving these three teams should have set alarm bells ringing with senior management. The fact that they appear unconcerned about the risks of the chronic levels of turnover has left mental health social workers feeling deeply unsafe. We still have some members who are currently still working but feeling very scared about what could happen in terms of risks. Failure to end this dispute will leave Barnet Council exposed as an uncaring and unsafe workplace for mental health social workers.
I have recently reached out to the Chief Executive and Leader of Barnet Council to come back with a revised offer which may be able to retain some of the current staff and encourage experienced mental health social workers to come and work for Barnet.
Until there is a credible offer the Barnet UNISON mental health social worker dispute remains live and we will continue to report on the dispute. It is our duty to advocate for a safe working environment for our members and no one will silence our voice for our members.” (John Burgess, Branch Secretary, Barnet UNISON).
Notes to Editors.
Contact details: Barnet UNISON branch on 0208 359 2088 to leave a message on our voicemail or email: contactus@barnetunison.org.uk
Background:
1. ‘It’s Soul Destroying’: Why Barnet Social Workers Are on Strike.
https://tribunemag.co.uk/2024/06/its-soul-destroying-why-barnet-social-workers-are-on-strike
2. Euphoria felled by reality and scant ambition – I have seen what could be Labour’s future | Aditya Chakrabortty | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/02/euphoria-reality-labour-future-thatcher-tory
3. Mental health social workers consider striking over staffing levels. 20 June 2023
4. Strike ballot opens for mental health social workers. 8 August 2023.
https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2023/08/08/strike-ballot-opens-for-mental-health-social-workers/
5. Mental health social workers vote to strike over ‘chronic staffing issues’ 6 September 2023.
6. Social workers to take 26 days’ further strike action in pay and staffing dispute.26 October 2023.
7. Inside a social work strike: the staff fighting for a ‘safe service’ 31 October 2023.
8.Social workers re-balloted on striking after 27 days of action leaves pay dispute unresolved. 18 February 2024.
9. Social workers to take nine more weeks of strike action as talks fail to resolve dispute.
8 March 2024.
10. Firm pulls out of providing service for council that union claims would have broken social work strike. 17 April 2024
11. Social workers reject council offer to settle dispute after more than 40 days of strike action. 16 May 2024.
12. Social workers escalate dispute with nine-week walkout. 17 May 2024
https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2024/05/17/social-workers-escalate-dispute-with-nine-week-walkout/
13. Council to buy in service to cover social workers during 9-week strike. 21 May 2024.
14. Union threatens court action over council plan to cover social work strike.
24 May 2024
15. Council outsources mental health service to cover social work strike 10 June 2024.
16. Mental health social workers pose greatest recruitment and retention challenge for adults’ services. 25 June 2024.
17. Mental health social workers return to work after nine-week strike 16 July 2024
18. ****This is where it all began in Barnet Council in 2016****
Council sheds qualified social worker posts to save money. 22 November 2016.
https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2016/11/22/council-sheds-qualified-social-worker-posts-save-money/
19.