400+

 

It was an incredible response from staff & Barnet residents on a bitter cold December evening……….hot drinks, mince pies and carol singing all helped fight off the cold.

So what happened in the meeting?

Well some of you may have seen or heard reports on the local TV & radio.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/tv/television/latest_stories/

And a link to photos taken at the rally – http://photos.snapsthoughts.com/p352281318

It appears from listening to the Leader both on the TV and in the Cabinet Committee that the Trade Unions have jumped the gun.

The new public service model which is described in the report is “NOT about mass privatisation of the Council!”

That is good news….but it really is not clear in the report….we are not the only ones to apparently misunderstand the report. A Barnet resident sent the Cabinet report to the Plain English Campaign and this is their response:

Plain English Campaign’s assessment of Future Shape report discussed at Cabinet 3 December 2008:

 “I think your suggestion that the council is planning to introduce outsourcing is correct although when they couch their plans in such gobbledygook, it is hard to be certain.

 “Paragraph 4.3 seems to suggest that they are thinking of using ‘organisations other than the Council’ while paragraph 5.3 suggests staff could be transferred to other employers. And, the Council also seems to have considered the legal implications of what it is doing.

“In answer to your question about whether it is in plain (enough) English to serve the public interest, the answer is definitely not. From a plain English point of view, it is an awful document. It is so full of jargon and management speak that the message is hard to find. It is quite possible to write complicated stuff like this in plain English – in fact, as everyone is entitled to receiving information in plain English, it should be common practice to write clearly.

“Whether the Council is writing in this style to try to disguise what it is considering, or whether it is just a case of not thinking about the residents of the borough I can’t say. What I would do however is ask for the information in an appropriate style so that you, and all the other residents of the borough, are aware of quite major changes that could affect the way your council is run. And, as there seem to be huge implications for staff, I am sure they particularly need to be kept notified of what is happening.”

Councillors reaction

Barnet residents & Trade Union members came up to me and complained that they felt the councillor’s comments were rude and playing to the gallery. I am afraid that this has been a feature of both local and national politics for a long time. It is not surprising that there is such poor responses to consultations with the communities.

Wednesday 3 December 400 people felt motivated to find time to come along and take part in something we call democracy. Democracy means the right for individuals and organisations to lobby and give their views. Just because you don’t like what you read is not grounds for disrespecting other people’s views. What we saw tonight was deliberate misrepresentation of the trade unions’ report.

Clearly there is a serious lack communication not just with the trade unions but with staff and most importantly residents, I hope that rather than retreating behind party political jibes we are able to sit down and play an active part in the Future Shape programme. I would ask ALL staff not to feel disheartened but to take up the challenge and request YOUR Future Shape meeting in your workplace. According to the time table we have just under 5 months for the Council to thoroughly assess what it is doing now and how it might change?

Staff, residents and the Trade Unions are waiting for the next phase of consultation to begin!

PUBLISHED!

Joint Trade Union response to the Cabinet Report

To read full report click here

Workforce Issues

One of the key issues for staff is what would happen to their terms and conditions of they were privatised.

We have raised this issue in our weekly meetings and have published Briefing 3 (amended) seeking a commitment to TUPE Plus. To date we have not had a formal response to our TUPE Plus proposal. The longer there is no response the greater the anxiety for staff.

We have had some comments made about potential future employment in particular this statement on the Councils Future Shape web page

Question: “The Council’s only signed up to TUPE, not TUPE plus.”

Reply: “This isn’t the case. The Council is committed to only working with partners that have admitted body status, or can offer a pension scheme better than the local government one. It is also committed to the Code of Practice on Workforce Matters, which means that staff transferring under TUPE to a partner will receive the same nationally negotiated pay awards as they would have received had they remained in local government. Both of these are TUPE plus as they are not covered by TUPE and they serve to protect the pensions and terms and conditions of staff.”

First of all we need to deal with the sentence “It is also committed to the Code of Practice on Workforce Matters,”

The simple fact is that the Council have not monitored or enforced the Code for staff who have been previously transferred. For the past three years the Trade Unions have been trying to ensure the Council takes this matter seriously, promises have been made but nothing has been done.

If the Council wants to allay staff fears of what may happen to them if they are privatised they need to formally respond to our Briefing 3 (amended) and ensure that the Council start enforcing the Code now.

Trade Union consultation

We do meet weekly and we have had a lot of discussions about various types of provision. Over the past two months we have published 6 Briefings but have not had a formal response to any of them.

Our Briefings relate to staff, service provision, contract monitoring etc. For some reason we have had no formal feedback which is undermining the consultation process and creating unnecessary anxiety amongst the workforce.

If there is nothing to hide then we need more openness.  

If the Cabinet agree the recommendations in the Cabinet report they need to ensure that communications are dramatically improved.

To view your invite to “Strictly come to future shape rally” click here

Just 7 days to go before the Cabinet meeting on 3rd December.

To view the full report click here

A detailed response will be provided shortly.

The report asks Council Officers to report back to 10 June Cabinet committee after completing a business and options analysis of the proposed new model of Barnet Public Services.

This report does not mention in house services.

We are asking residents, staff, service users and trade union members to turn up for the rally outside barnet House at 6 pm and attend the Cabinet Committee meeting at 7 pm 

Read it… sign it… pass it on! Barnet UNISON has created an ePetition to Gordon Brown. It is important that you sign it and pass it on to your colleagues to sign. Protect YOUR Pension To view and sign the petition click here

Over 300 people crowded into the public meeting on 11 November.

Thanks to the GMB Convenor  Paul Coles we can give you an opportunity to watch a snap shot of the meeting by clicking here

A Big thank you to all of you who turned up at the meeting last night. Over 300 plus staff took the time and effort to attend the Barnet Public Services meeting last night. 

The event was resounding success and demonstrated that both staff and local residents are concerned about the future of public services in Barnet.

The meeting watched the ITV West documentary Private Gain, Private Profit in two parts to show that the threat to jobs and services is real and the need for staff to engage in the consultation with the Council.

Professor Whitfield gave a broad assessment of what this could mean to residents, service users, staff and the local economy.

Stan Davison from 55 plus spoke followed by Secretary of Barnet Trades Council Austin Harney and John Burgess Branch Secretary Barnet UNISON.

It was followed by a number of useful contributions from the floor. It was clear residents, service users, staff and the Trade Unions are ready for the consultation to start. The Trade Unions have already produced 6 Briefings which raise issues about the process. Until now we have not had a response.

On 3 December the Chief Executive in what might be his last presentation (he has secured the post of Chief Executive of the GLA working for the London Mayor Boris Johnson) to the Cabinet Committee will present his report on the Future of Public Services in Barnet.

The Trade Unions are asking ALL their members to attend a rally on 3 December at 6 pm outside Barnet House before going into the meeting to hear what is being recommended for Barnet residents and the 4,000 Council workers. 

A more detailed report will follow.  

Remember, remember the 3 December!

 

Clear as Mud?

To be honest I was not convinced I would get a reply to the letter I sent in September (to view click here)

Our Local MP Andrew Dismore has passed on a response to our letter. It is written on behalf of Governement Minister Hazel Blears by Sadiq Khan MP…

To read click here

Petition the Prime Minister to protect local authorities from losing millions of pounds of council taxpayers’ money held in failing Icelandic banks.

The government cannot stand by and allow local authorities to lose millions of pounds of council taxpayers’ cash. The government have stepped in to secure the banking system, and we need the same bold and principled action to protect local councils. Local authorities have a crucial role to play in protecting individuals, families and communities from the effects of an economic downturn. They are also crucial to rebuilding stability and confidence in our communities.”

We are asking UNISON members to sign the petition by following this link http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Aid-for-councils/#detail