Category: National
National Campaigns
Why we must fight for a Pay rise and not a Pay cut.
Barnet UNISON reps at our Branch Executive meeting agreed that Barnet UNISON would make a recommendation to our members to reject the Employers offer.
Below are some of the reasons why we have taken this position.
- Local Government Pay has fallen by 27.5% since 2010 because of 12 years of Tory Austerity Pay Cuts.
- The latest offer is another Pay cut not a Pay rise.
- The Tories Austerity Policy is to make us all poorer.
Politicians claim there is no magic money tree
- Shell made record profits of nearly £10bn between April and June
- BT Group announced profits £400 million in the first quarter of this year.
- BT made “1.3 billion and gave £750 million to shareholders.
- British Gas owner Centrica profits increased fivefold by 411% to £1.3 billion as our energy bills continue to soar.
- BT CEO Philip Jansen earned a total of £3,460,000 up 32% from the £2,628,000 he received in 2021.
- Railways made £5 billion in profit last year.
What Tory Austerity Policies are doing to us.
- UK households face annual energy bills of £3,850, this has tripled since the start of 2022.
- Household energy bills £500 a month.
- 5.8 million people in England, Scotland and Wales, both in and out of work – 40% of universal credit claimants are workers.
- 5 million people in the UK lived in food poverty between 2019 – 2020.
- Workers are turning to food banks because they don’t have enough money.
- Foodbanks are running out of food because they can’t cope with the demand.
- School support staff are missing meals in order they can feed their own children at home.
What can we do?
Barnet UNISON members are going to carry out a National Pay survey. It is important that every single member completes the survey and posts it back. First, we need over 50% of members to vote in the survey. Second, we want most of those voting to Vote Reject. “UK inflation could reach 15% by start of 2023, experts say” Every month inflation rises makes this offer worse for more of our members.
Barnet UNISON will issue the National Pay survey on Thursday 1 September until 5pm, Friday 16 September.
Members will receive an email with a link to the survey. Those with no access to email will receive a hard copy survey.
End.
Barnet UNISON National Pay Offer Grade table
We have provided a National Pay Offer Grade table to show the grade information for all Barnet Council workers.
The Barnet UNISON National Pay Offer Grade table will show:
- Your current grade with hourly rates
- Your current grade with the employer’s proposal with new hourly rates
- Your current grade with Joint Trade Union demand with new hourly rates
What is the Joint Trade Union demand?
The Joint Trade Union demand was £2k or RPI whichever is greater. (this was before the escalating Cost of Living Crisis had taken hold of our economy.
Retail Price Index (RPI) is currently 11.8% which means the employers offer is less than UNISONs demand for all Council grades.
However, in the news they are predicting RPI will reach 18%.
https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/rpi-inflation-forecast-cost-of-living-niesr/
On top of this bad news there is a National Energy Bill crisis. The average household energy costs are predicted to reach as much as £3,400 a year. Energy bills have tripled since the start of the year.
All the other Cost of Living Crisis pressures such as fuel, food, rent, mortgages, travel are all increasing with no sign of this ending.
It is important that UNISON secures the best pay deal for our members.
In the coming weeks we will begin a consultative National Pay ballot of our members.
In the meantime if you want any further information on the National Pay offer, please ring Barnet UNISON on 0208 359 2088 or email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk
End.
Your Pay: The Tories Austerity Robbery
This information is for all Barnet Council staff who are on Unified Reward Terms and Conditions.
To find out how much money that you have lost because of the Tories Austerity Robbery you need to know which Grade you are on.
If you don’t know what grade you are on, please contact your line manager. If you are experiencing problems finding out this information, please leave a message on the UNISON voicemail on 0208 359 2088 or email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk
Grade A: The Tories have held back your pay by 27.5%. What that means for a Grade A worker is that instead of earning £22,575 a year you should be on £28,783 which means the Tories have robbed you of £6,208
Grade B: The Tories have held back your pay by 27.5% what that means for a Grade B worker is that instead of earning £23,400 a year you should be on £29,835 which means the Tories have robbed you of £6,435
Grade C: The Tories have held back your pay by 27.5% what that means for a Grade C worker is that instead of earning £24,243 a year you should be on £30,910 which means the Tories have robbed you of £6,667
Grade D: The Tories have held back your pay by 27.5% what that means for a is that for a Grade D worker instead of earning £25,128 a year you should be on £32,038 which means the Tories have robbed you of £6,910
Grade E: The Tories have held back your pay by 27.5% what that means for a Grade E worker is that instead of earning £26,508 a year you should be on £33,798 which means the Tories have robbed you of £7,290
Grade F: The Tories have held back your pay by 27.5% what that means for a Grade F worker is that instead of earning £29,502 a year you should be on £37,615 which means the Tories have robbed you of £8,113
Grade G: The Tories have held back your pay by 27.5% what that means for a Grade G worker is that instead of earning £32,988 a year you should be on £42,060 which means the Tories have robbed you of £9,072
If you have any questions or queries, please leave a voicemail on 0208 359 2088 or email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk
End.
Barnet Council staff: “What’s my grade?”
The table above are the current London Borough of Barnet Grades for 2021/22.
The current National Pay negotiations are taking place and at some point in the next 9 months the Pay award for this year will have to be applied to all of the grades above.
Breaking News: Barnet UNISON submits Cost of Living Crisis claim to Barnet Council contractors
The following communications has been sent by Barnet UNISON to the following contractors who deliver services on behalf of Barnet Council.
- Capita
- ISS
- BELS
- Blue 9 Security
- The Barnet Group
- Norse cleaning
- Nsl
Dear Contractor
On Monday 6 June 2022, Barnet UNISON, GMB and NEU submitted a Joint Trade Union Cost of Living Crisis claim to Barnet Council on behalf of all our members.
In the space of a week, we now some Petrol pump prices have reached £2 per litre with no sign that this will stop at this price.
I am submitting the same emergency Cost of Living Crisis claim to your organisation on behalf of UNISON and GMB members.
We are submitting the same claim to all contractors commissioned by Barnet Council to deliver services.
For the purposes of transparency, we are copying in the Chief Executive of Barnet Council.
Introduction:
National Pay Bargaining has failed to deliver meaningful improvements in pay for many of our members. Our members have endured a decade of pay freezes and below average pay awards which has seen our members lose on average 27.5% from the value of their pay since 2010.
Whilst we wait for the national pay negotiations to reach an outcome our members are facing the fastest fall in living standards since the 1950s. Inflation is forecast to peak at over 10% this year, the sharp rise in the cost of living is hitting our members hard. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has warned economic conditions are now unlikely to return to pre-Covid levels until at least 2024.
The UK’s biggest supermarket chain, Tesco, predicts food price inflation will soon hit 5%. The cost of many supermarket staples has increased far more than this already – the average price of pasta increased 41% last year and tinned tomatoes went up 29%.
Within these figures, some costs are rising at an unprecedented rate, such as gas bills at 28.8%, petrol and oil at 21.4%, and electricity bills at 19.2%.
What is of concern for our members is that the support measures offered by the government are not enough.
The Joint Trade Unions welcome the “Cost-of-Living approach: Debt and Financial Vulnerabilities workstream” report going to Policy & Resources Committee on 8 June 2022. (https://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s72786/Cost%20of%20Living%20approach%20Debt%20and%20Financial%20Vulnerabilities%20workstream.pdf )
In particular we agree with Recommendation 3 which states “notes the urgency of the cost-of-living challenges facing residents”. Some of our lowest paid members live and work in the London Borough of Barnet.
Poorer households are currently experiencing higher inflation – on average – than better-off households
As Trade Unions we recognise that we need to act in the interests of our membership in these unprecedented times which is why we have tabled three proposals to address some of the concerns raised on a daily basis by our members.
- Travel to Work payment
The cost of fuel is driving up prices both for car users and for those using public transport.
In terms of public transport costs between 2009 – 21 Bus & coach fares have gone up 88% and Rail fares have gone up 55%.
Petrol and diesel costs are at a historic high. Filling up a tank costs £17 more than just one year ago, but HMRC mileage rates have not been updated since 2011/12.
There are staff, keyworkers, who have no choice but to travel to work. They are not able to work from home. Throughout the COVID pandemic they have had to keep travelling to work and incurring their travel costs at a time when many other workers have saved money because they were able to work from home.
Barnet UNISON/GMB is asking for a Travel to Work payment to be paid each month.
- Home Working payment
The COVID Pandemic forced home working on many employers. We now have a hybrid pattern of working where staff are still working from home with occasional days at the office.
Energy prices rose even more sharply from April 2022, when the price cap received an enormous lift and the average bill increased from £1,277 to approximately £2,000 a year.
In terms of some escalating costs which we believe impact on the Home worker, between 2009 – 21 House prices have risen by 53% and Electricity bills by 65%.
The Emergency Cost of Living Crisis has changed things dramatically. The energy bill hikes are putting many of our members under financial insecurity especially in light of further energy bill increases in the Autumn.
It is only fair that the employer should contribute to energy costs for those staff working from home.
Barnet UNISON/GMB is asking for a Home Working payment to be paid each month.
- COVID Recognition Payment
Last year the trade unions requested a COVID Recognition payment as a sign of goodwill and recognition that many of the frontline workers had continued to deliver services right through the Pandemic and when the vaccine was not available. Our request was turned down. As previously stated in our Cost-of-Living Crisis proposal many of our lowest paid are under serious financial pressure and they want a payment in recognition of what they did during the height of the COVID pandemic.
Barnet UNISON/GMB is asking that Barnet Council makes a one-off COVID-19 recognition payment.
End.
National Pay Claim lodged with employers: It’s £2,000 or RPI*
UNISON calls for a substantial pay rise of £2K or RPI for all local government & school workers
UNISON, GMB and Unite lodged a pay claim for all council and school workers employed on NJC pay in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Monday 6 June. The claim calls for a substantial increase of either £2,000 or RPI (whichever is greater) on all spinal column points, from 1 April 2022.
The full claim has been submitted to the Employers’ Side of the NJC.
Click on the link below to read the NJC pay campaign bulleting with more information about the pay claim and how your branch can get involved in campaigning for a decent pay rise.
https://msgfocus.com/files/amf_unison/project_131/We_Need_More_NJC_pay_2022_Bulletin_01.pdf
Click on the link below to visit UNISON’s NJC pay campaign webpage ‘We need more’. This webpage will be updated with lots of campaign resources.
*RPI = Retail Price Index
End.
The Tories Are Out Of Barnet!
To quote CeCe Peniston: “Finally!” (For those of us young enough to remember popular music of the 90s) https://youtu.be/xk8mm1Qmt-Y
On behalf of our members our Barnet UNISON Branch Secretary, John Burgess, has written to the newly elected Council Leader, Barry Rawlings, congratulating him on the success of the Labour Party and requesting to meet with him.
This is John making a statement to all Barnet UNISON members
For 20 years our members have had to deal with brutality of outsourcing and attacks on our time off to represent members. Our members in the Barnet Group, Capita, NSL, BELS and ISS will be expecting to see positive change for them. UNISON’s General Secretary, Christine McAnea has also been written to requesting her support for assistance in our discussions with Barnet Labour.
We’ll be providing regular updates to our members and our wider UNISON family and trade union community on our progress.
End.
Emergency Cost of Living meeting video 30 March
How to support Ukraine
UNISON is working with the international trade union movement to mobilise support for those affected by the war in Ukraine – and branches and members can help too
No one can fail to be moved by the scenes of terrified civilians taking shelter underground or of the hundreds of thousands of women and children desperately trying to cross the border to safety, to an uncertain future as a refugee.
UNISON immediately condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine last week and has called for Russian troops to withdraw to allow meaningful peace talks to go ahead.
The union has reached out in solidarity to public service unions in Ukraine whose members are on the frontline trying to save lives as civilian casualties rise. Workers and ordinary people in both Ukraine and Russia are the victims of this war, not the perpetrators.
It has today agreed to donate £10,000 to an appeal by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
It is also talking to our European and international union federations, EPSU and PSI, about how we can practically support those unions and Ukrainian public service workers.
Europe is facing a major refugee crisis. As most European countries have opened their borders to refugees from Ukraine, the UK’s own government is shamefully still putting up significant administrative barriers to prevent refugees arriving in the UK.
And it is not just Ukrainians who are trying to get out. Thousands of migrant workers and students from around the world are caught up in the chaos and there have been disturbing reports of racial discrimination against them by border guards, which UNISON condemns.
How you can help
UNISON branches and members have been asking how they can help. The ITUC has launched an appeal to support the Ukrainian trade union movement and ordinary workers in Ukraine.
Click on link below to find out more