Category: UNISON Campaign

Introduction:

After a series of outsourcing under One Barnet Programme our branch has been following the decisions of the new committee system at Barnet Council.

The data reveals a shocking headline whereby 81% (1497 out *1,829.71 posts) of the current Barnet Council workforce is now facing outsourcing. Whilst decisions on what type of outsourcing will be selected, the lack of in house option means that staff will no longer be employees of Barnet Council.

To view the details behind the headline click here

Last Tuesday at a full Council Meeting it was voted by a majority of one to go ahead with the Libraries Strategy. Three options are to be offered for the future of libraries, but no matter which one is chosen the following results will apply.

Well before  2020  Barnet Libraries will have been replaced  by  a  number  of  libraries in the borough either run for profit by a private enterprise, or  by a mutual struggling to survive, or by community groups with insufficient resources.

Up to two in three library jobs will have gone. They will be replaced by volunteers and machines.

Most surviving libraries will   be smaller, being only 540 square feet in area. Book and audio-visual stock will be reduced, cutting choice. There will be less computers for the public to use and less study space available.

Libraries will be unsafe. For most of its’ opening times a library will not have any staff (or even volunteers) on site. Access will be gained through a swipe card. Unsocial behaviour and theft are not   unknown in libraries today despite staff being on site. The Council will replace on site staffing at these times by CCTV, and “remote voice or video information”.

These changes   will result in disaster for the service, and will discourage use by the public, increasing the likelihood of more closures in the years to come.

UNISON oppose the Library Strategy and call for its replacement with a plan for  that will benefit all those who have a stake a real Library Service.

Join your union in resisting the Council’s attack on libraries and library workers implicit in the Library Strategy.

The vote which was won last night 32 votes to 31 was an amendment to the original motion submitted by Labour Councillor Rebecca Challice which said:

“Delete report recommendations 2-5 and replace with:

2. Council and the Children, Education, Libraries & Safeguarding (CELS) Committee actively supports the ongoing discussions with Brookhill, St Margaret’s and Hampden Way Nursery Schools but recognises that they need more time to resolve budgetary issues and ensure a mutually agreed and sustainable future. Council and the CELS Committee therefore instructs officers to work with these three nursery schools to achieve this and report back to the CELS Committee for a final decision.

3. Council and the CELS Committee supports and agrees the Moss Hall nursery school business plan proposal that will save LB Barnet £160,000 each year from 2016/17, and instructs officers to implement the proposal.”

This means Moss Hall Nursery is now safe for the time being as their proposal has been accepted.

 

Future for St Margaret’s, Brookhill and Hampden Way Nursery Schools

The key sentence is “instructs officers to work with these three nursery schools to achieve this and report back to the CELS Committee for a final decision” the next CELS meeting is on 12 January 2015 see here

Next meeting

The Joint Trade Unions are meeting with their members on Thursday 13 November 2014 at 4.15 at Hampden Way Nursery School to discuss how they will be involved in developing a plan which secures a future for all three schools and the community they proudly serve.

 

 

Earlier this week the Trade Unions and the Council agreed the following joint statement here

Dear Colleague

Good News

UNISON has welcomed the news that the negotiations have been extended in order to ensure the grading of jobs has been completed before the final Council proposals are formally submitted to the Trade Unions. UNISON is also pleased the proposed changes to the redundancy have been withdrawn……read more here

No so good news?

Apologies for the lack of information about the negotiations which have been taking place over the last three weeks. Some of the delays have simply been as a consequence of requests made by the Trade Unions in response to the initial Council proposal submitted to the Trade Unions on 9 October 2014. Whilst it I understand that our members are anxious to know what is being proposed it is important to understand that any proposed changes will have an impact on almost 5,000 staff (including maintained school support staff). This is why the Trade Unions are concerned and have requested further information in order to understand which groups of staff may be affected and how.

Over the next few weeks the Trade Unions are busy on the job evaluation panels after which we will be back in talks with the Council over the details of the Council proposals.

 

In the meanwhile you can view the 3 November 2014 Joint Communication on the UNISON website HERE or on the Council web sites here www.barnet.gov.uk/unified-reward

The following message was sent to Barnet UNISON earlier today.

“We recognise that Barnet UNISON Your Choice Barnet care workers have overwhelmingly voted to reject the latest proposal to reduce the pay cut imposed on them from 9.5% to 7.9%.

We know that these care workers care deeply about the residents who use the services provided by YCB and understand that their concerns are not only about pay but also about the quality of services that are provided.

We wish to express our disappointment that Barnet Council, as the sole shareholder of the Barnet Group and its subsidiary company Your Choice Barnet, has repeatedly refused to come to the negotiating table with Barnet UNISON and ACAS to try and resolve this ongoing dispute.

The Barnet Tories are not honouring their original decision, made at Cabinet Resources Committee 24 May 2011 that “Commercial risk ultimately remains with the Council and in the unlikely event of failure, the services will need to be brought back in-house.” (p57 of the Business Case).

Our message to UNISON YCB members is that if we were in control of the Council we would not put political ideology over the needs of vulnerable adults and their families and would be instructing senior officers of the Council to bring this high profile front line service back in house.

We will continue to lobby Barnet’s Tory councillors to do the right thing and bring this service back in house.”

Barnet Labour Group

 

UNISON members in YCB have voted overwhelmingly again to reject the improved pay cut offer.

The turnout was good – 75% and 72% of those voted to reject a 7.9% pay cut (instead of 9.5%).

Clearly our members think they are worth more than that. This is understandable at a time when the news has been dominated recently by the effect of low pay on the economy.

YCB care workers are determined that they should receive a ‘fair days’ pay for the work that they do.

Please continue to show your support and solidarity with these workers by signing this petition here

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-ongoing-destruction-of-services-for-adults-with-disabilities-in-barnet

Background.

You can find out more about the campaign by clicking on this link here http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1415

 

To view full report please click here

Recommendations

1. Barnet UNISON strongly recommends that in-house provision is included in each option.

2. It is essential that a comprehensive risk register is compiled immediately and forms part of the public and staff consultation so that the risks can be fully understood in assessing the options.

3. Assurances are required to both the public and staff that the wider role of volunteers is only a short-term measure.

4. A full equality impact assessment is undertaken to identify the effect of the Library options and the operational proposals

The Joint Trade Unions have set up the following Petition which we are encouraging everyone to support.

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-our-outstanding-nursery-schools-in-the-london-borough-of-barnet

Moss Hall Nursery facing 50 per cent funding cut

http://www.barnet-today.co.uk/news.cfm?id=11019

Campaigners launch petition to save nursery in Barnet

http://www.itv.com/news/london/update/2014-10-20/teachers-petition-to-save-moss-hall-nursery-from-budget-cuts/

Save Moss Hall Nursery From Drastic Proposals

http://www.change.org/p/save-moss-hall-nursery

 

 

17 October 2014

Dear Colleagues

The Council will announce the options under consideration for the Library Service on the 20th of October. These plans were originally to be disclosed to Library staff at meeting to be held at NLBP.

UNISON welcomed this meeting as an indication that the consultation process with staff would be conducted in an equable and meaningful manner.

However the Council has since decided to call off this meeting and replace it with a series of onsite meetings on the 20th of October, each lasting half an hour.

By calling off the meeting of all Library staff the Council are;

· Not treating Library workers in an equal manner to our colleagues in other Council services, who have been able to attend service-wide meetings on their futures.

· Hampering the provision of Trade Union representation at Consultation meetings with staff. It will be difficult for UNISON reps to attend each of the on-site meetings, due to other commitments as we deal with a number of Council initiatives and an increased level of casework. This is coupled with a reluctance by the Council to release reps for trade union duties.

· Holding meetings at several sites may distort the message the Council wishes to impart, as colleagues at one site receive the news and pass on their interpretations to staff at other sites. It is in the interest of all parties concerned that this does not happen.

• The half hour allocated to each meeting is too short for sufficient explanation by the Council and will not provide adequate time for staff to raise questions.

UNISON have called for the reinstatement of the all-staff meeting but have been rebuffed by the Council. Therefore we are raising it as a point of dispute in the Council’s highest industrial relations committee.

Yours sincerely,

Hugh Jordan John Burgess

Libraries Convenor                                                                 Branch Secretary

 

Branch Health and Safety Officer