UNISON Campaign – Page 85

UNISON members working for Your Choice Barnet (YCB) have just announced their next strike dates as being 24 & 25 February. This takes place in the middle of the TUC Fair Pay fortnight.

This will make a total of 8 days of strike action since the dispute began. This is in a bid to reverse the harsh 9.5% pay cut imposed on them by their employer.

YCB has not met with UNISON as they have indicated they have nothing new to offer. Barnet Council has failed to become involved in a positive way at all. The Council has clearly been giving preferential treatment to its private contractors with the news of Capita has already received £110 million in the first 16 months of the two contracts. If YCB were to receive this, it would carry on producing a service to the residents on the scale it does for the next 18 years with no pay cut to staff!

The dispute has now reached the ears of House of Commons Early Day Motion 778 http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2014-15/778

This dispute is clearly one of priorities.

UNISON Branch Secretary John Burgess said:

“The driving motivation for our members in this dispute is their fears about what is happening to the quality of services. Low pay in the care sector does not deliver high quality services. It does not appear to work for Capita, we are at a loss as to understand why this would work for care workers in YCB.”

24 & 25 February Picket Line details

1. Flower Lane Day Centre
41 Flower Lane
Barnet
London NW7 2JN

2. Rosa Morrison Day Centre

83 Gloucester Road
Totteridge
Barnet
London EN5 1NA

The start times are 7.30am to 12noon

Notes to Editors.

Contact details: John Burgess Barnet UNISON on 07738389569 or 0208 359 2088 or email: john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk

Background:

In February 2012 Barnet Council transferred Learning Disability and Physical and Sensory Impairment services for adults to a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) called Your Choice Barnet (YCB). About 160 staff (145.6 Full Time Equivalents) in Adults services transferred to the LATC.

Following a restructure in 2013 and cuts to pay on shift allowances there are now only about 105 FTE working for YCB a 30% cut in staffing levels.

Links

1. Why UNISON Your Choice Barnet Care Workers are taking strike action.

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/2015.01.15.%20YCB%20FLYER%20PUBLIC.pdf

2. UNISON Your Choice Barnet Care Workers “9 Point Flyer

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/2015.01.15.%20STRIKE%20YCB%20FLYER%20nine%20point.pdf

3. Support UNISON Your Choice Barnet Care Workers strike action video

http://youtu.be/9jVXn6_BcVY

4. The Capita £110million payment

http://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s21029/Appendix%20I%20-%20Capita%20Payments.pdf

5. Your Choice Barnet Care worker to give evidence at Commission in House of Commons

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/2015.01.14.%20Care%20workers%20House%20of%20commons%20leaflet_0.pdf

5. Your Choice – in built pension burden creates artificial loss to justify pay cut http://lbbspending.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/nochoice.html

6. Sign Petition to Stop the ongoing destruction of services for adults with disabilities in Barnet

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

Barnet Council to vote on NOT paying London Living Wage

14th February 2015 admin Local

On Tuesday 18 February 2015Remuneration Committee, Barnet Council are going to agree pay policy Pay Policy Statement 2015/16. In relation to the London Living Wage they say the following:

“3.14. For the period of this pay policy statement the council has decided to apply a living wage rate of £8.80 per hour worked for all employees. Employees whose pay rate is less than this amount will receive a pay supplement to bring their pay up to an equivalent of the published Barnet Living Wage rate.”

http://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s21262/Annex%20A%20-%20Pay%20Policy%20Statement.pdf

The London Living Wage is £9.15http://www.livingwage.org.uk/what-living-wage

According to Remuneration Committee 14 October 2013 figures inhttp://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s11046/London%20Living%20Wage.pdf it means that up to 838 Council workers are now earning less than the London Living Wage

Auction of care packages

8th February 2015 admin Local

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-31173451

e NEWS 30 January 2015

30th January 2015 admin Local

To view enews click here

E news 23 January 2015 “rich keep getting richer”

23rd January 2015 admin Local

To view click here

The Pension Deficit – Outsourcing

15th January 2015 admin Local

The Pension Deficit – Outsourcing

What is the total Pension Deficit?

2010 Valuation

The results of the valuation were as follows:

The London Borough of Barnet Pension Fund had a funding level of 76%, i.e. the assets amounted to 76% of the liability promises made as at that valuation date. This corresponded to a deficit of £189.6m at that time. It is important to note that the pension deficit affects all stakeholders in the LB Pension Fund, not just Barnet Council.

What is clear is that private contractors are being treated differently from YCB & Barnet Homes.

In order to explain here is a list of the One Barnet outsourcing projects. For each project there is a hyperlink to the relevant Pension Fund Committee report.

Barnet Homes/Housing options 2012 15/03/2012 (not funded) paragraph 6.2
Your Choice Barnet 2012 01/09/2011 not funded
NSL Parking 2012 20/12/2011 fully funded paragraph 6.3
CSG/NSCSO 2013 11/07/2013 not funded
Re DRS 2013 09/09/2013 fully funded paragraph 6.4
Harrow Legal 2013 13/06/2012 fully funded paragraph 9.7
Brent Registrars 2014 18/03/2014 fully funded paragraph 6.2
OCS CCTV 2014 18/03/2014 fully funded 7.2

To view full report please click here

Support UNISON Your Choice Barnet Care Workers strike action video

15th January 2015 admin Local

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Care Workers to take strike action 22nd & 23rd January 2015.

15th January 2015 admin Local

Barnet UNISON Press Release: 16^th January 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Care Workers to take strike action 22^nd & 23^rd January 2015.

UNISON members working for Your Choice Barnet (YCB) have just announced their next strike dates as being 22^nd and 23^rd January. In addition the workers will be attending an event in the House of Commons 28^th January highlighting the conditions for workers in this sector (see link below). This will make a total of 6 days of strike action since the dispute began. This is in a bid to reverse the harsh 9.5% pay cut imposed on them by their employer.

UNISON and YCB have had numerous meetings at ACAS and there has been no improved offer which has come close to being acceptable to the majority of our colleagues. The latest offer made in October 2014, was a 7.9% pay cut and this was resoundingly rejected in a ballot of the membership. The discussions have, however, revealed stark issues imposed on YCB by Barnet Council which make it difficult to see how YCB can survive financially into the future without our members constantly bailing it out through their financial sacrifice. The pensions deficit (an extra 9.8% payment) for the TUPE’d staff was transferred across to YCB, although this did not happen with other contracts in the private sector. Relieving YCB of the pensions’ deficit would restore our members’ pay at one stroke. Not allowing YCB to charge for unplanned “no-shows” (when service users are unable to attend the service at short notice) would potentially halve the pay cut to our members. However, Barnet Council refuses to participate in any of our discussions although ultimately the Council holds the purse strings.

Meanwhile our members tell us they are working harder than ever with increasing levels of stress and no prospect of a pay rise. They report the first day they have off from work is used simply to recover from the stressful week they have had. The pay cut has left many of our colleagues finding it particularly hard to make ends meet. They have made it clear to us they want to see a substantial shift in any new proposals from YCB in order to end the dispute.

UNISON Branch Secretary John Burgess said:

“Our members held back from taking action before Christmas in order not to disrupt the service for service users and their carers at such a sensitive time of the year. This demonstrates again their professionalism and dedication but also their determination to stand up to attacks on their terms and conditions.”

22 & 23 Picket Line details

1. Flower Lane Day Centre
41 Flower Lane
Barnet
London NW7 2JN

2. Rosa Morrison Day Centre

83 Gloucester Road
Totteridge
Barnet
London EN5 1NA

The start times are 7.30am to 12noon

Notes to Editors.

Contact details: John Burgess Barnet UNISON on 07738389569 or 0208 359 2088 or email: john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk

Background:

Following a restructure in 2013 and cuts to pay on shift allowances there are now only about 105 FTE working for YCB a 30% cut in staffing levels.

Links

1. Why UNISON Your Choice Barnet Care Workers are taking strike action.

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/2015.01.15.%20YCB%20FLYER%20PUBLIC.pdf

2. UNISON Your Choice Barnet Care Workers “9 Point Flyer

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/2015.01.15.%20STRIKE%20YCB%20FLYER%20nine%20point.pdf

3. Support UNISON Your Choice Barnet Care Workers strike action video

http://youtu.be/9jVXn6_BcVY

4. Your Choice Barnet Care worker to give evidence at Commission in House of Commons

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/2015.01.14.%20Care%20workers%20House%20of%20commons%20leaflet_0.pdf

5. Your Choice – in built pension burden creates artificial loss to justify pay cut http://lbbspending.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/nochoice.html

6. Sign Petition to Stop the ongoing destruction of services for adults with disabilities in Barnet

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