Message of Solidarity from Davy Hopper
Davy Hopper, General Secretary , Durham Miners’Association
Davy Hopper, General Secretary , Durham Miners’Association
‘We at Barnet Green Party are writing to express our solidarity with the three day strike action being taken by your library workers. Barnet Council’s proposed cuts to posts, staffing hours, library space and other resources is completely unacceptable. It demonstrates an absence of imagination in modernising libraries to adapt to the electronic-era. We believe that the shrinking, selling and cutting staffing at libraries is the action of a heartless undemocratic council. The selling off of public goods which are treasured by Barnet’s residents and of which they are custodians with no mandate to dispose of is quite simply scandalous and we shall continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with you in resisting the cuts to library services as we have sadly had to do for years.’
Dan Ozarow
Trade Union Liaison Officer, Barnet Green Party
“On behalf of PCS, I send our full solidarity for your strike. You have the full support of PCS in your fight against cuts to public libraries in Barnet and the forced privatisation of these vital public services and we are absolutely clear that your fight is our fight. PCS members have taken action over similar issues in recent years. Our members at the Land Registry successfully fought off privatisation in the past, and are now facing another struggle to stop another attempted sell off. Please let us know if there is any other practical support we can provide.”
(Mark Serwotka PCS General Secretary)
Message of Solidarity to Barnet’s library staff & Barnet Unison
POSTED BY BARNET LABOUR ON JUNE 06, 2016
Leader of the Barnet Labour Group, Cllr Barry Rawlings said:
“On behalf of the Barnet Labour Group I would like to send a message of solidarity to all Library staff taking industrial action on 13th, 14th and 15th of June in opposition to Barnet Council’s terrible plan to cut library posts by 46%, reduce the staffed opening hours of our libraries by 70%, and slash floor space at our libraries.
“We oppose these library cuts, and the plans to outsource the service which we believe will have a devastating and lasting impact on our local community.”
“I want to pay tribute and send solidarity greetings to Barnet UNISON Library workers who are taking three days strike action starting Monday 13 June. They have been fighting an inspirational work place and community campaign with the Save Barnet Libraries campaign. I would like to thank them for their sterling efforts to expose and prevent the proposed widespread decimation of their Library service which will see half the workforce dumped onto the dole queue. Barnet UNISON has been a fine example of how trade unions and their community can work together in fighting austerity policies which are destroying local public services up and down the country, they have my 100% support.” John McDonnell Shadow Chancellor
Barnet UNISON Press Release: 6 June 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Three day strike called by Barnet Council Library workers
UNISON members working in Barnet Libraries are taking industrial action on the 13th, 14th and 15th of June 2016 in opposition to the Council’s plan to outsource the Library Service.
What the Council intends for Barnet Libraries
More detailed analysis of the destruction of the Library service can be found in our report entitled “Direct and Collateral Damage to the Future of Barnet Libraries” here
UNISON Picket Lines will be at the following Barnet Libraries:
Background
For those unfamiliar with the Barnet Libraries debacle please watch this short animation which details the plans for our fantastic Library Service.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3XfibjbJuA
Keith Martin for local government worker, resident and long standing Libraries campaigner wrote a response to the Local Times newspaper survey “Have your say over Barnet future Library service” http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/14528718.Have_your_say_over_Barnet___s_future_library_service/
Keith has given permission to share his response with our members in the Library Service.
“Would I volunteer?”
“Mrs Angry expresses my views succinctly in her Broken Barnet blog.
http://wwwbrokenbarnet.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/the-eve-of-destruction-act-now-or-wave.html
and here http://wwwbrokenbarnet.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/barnet-libraries-capita-it-crash.html
Would I volunteer for Reuben Thompstone’s plans to reshape the library service; to harness Barnet’s community spirit?
Would I thus be a party to putting chartered librarians and other professional library staff on the dole, after they have attempted to train unskilled volunteers such as myself to replace them? Would I be a party to actions which have as their goal the closure of libraries and the wrecking of educational opportunities to schoolchildren which generations of library users have benefitted from as their birthright?
No, I would not.
This is why I am active in the campaign to save not only libraries in Barnet but throughout the United Kingdom.
Best wishes
Keith”
It was announced recently that Library Staff have achieved a 97% customer service satisfaction score in a survey of the public, the highest for any Council or Partner Service. Last year Libraries won the Barnet Council Staff Team Award. Libraries staff are also about to launch the Barnet Libraries Festival while continuing to provide their regular service which not only includes the loan of books and audio-visual items and providing information but also running regular activities such as story times for children, conversation sessions for English language learners and IT tuition for adults. » Read more
On Wednesday 25 November Chancellor George Osborne will announce details of his Comprehensive Spending Review. Barnet Council agreed at their Policy & Resources Committee, 9 July 2015 that their Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) needed to deliver £81.1 million in budget cuts.
A large part of the strategy is outsourcing and becoming a commissioning council, outsourcing their staff to other employers and asking them to deliver the staff savings.
On Wednesday 18 November councillors on Children, Education, and Libraries & Safeguarding Committee agreed to award a contract to global multinational giant Mott MacDonald.
This decision which still has to be ratified at a Full Council meeting on Tuesday 8 December 2015 will mean 476 Council workers transfer out of the Council to the private contractor.
At the same meeting councillors agreed to add staff working in Family Services to the ever growing outsourcing pipeline, aka Barnet Commissioning Council. This outsourcing project includes children’s social workers (child protection), children centre workers and youth workers among others.
At the Performance and Contract Management Committee, on Tuesday 17th November the following staffing figures were produced:
1. Education & Skills and Catering 300.93 full time equivalent posts
2. Street Scene services 428.46 full time equivalent posts
3. Library Service 114 full time equivalent posts).
4. Adults & Communities 235.71 full time equivalent posts
5. Family services 461.31 full time equivalent posts. Library figures have been excluded
6. Commissioning Group 147.87 full time equivalent posts
The decision to add all staff working in Family Services to the outsourcing project means that 92% (1,540.41 full time equivalents) of the current Barnet Council workforce are now facing the likelihood of being outsourced.
This would leave only council staff working in the Commissioning Group as Council employees.
UNISON Branch Secretary John Burgess said: On Wednesday 25 November the Chancellor George Osborne will provide the details to his Comprehensive Spending Review. It is the worst kept secret that his review will lead to damaging future for social care and public services. The attack will be delivered by either cuts and or mass outsourcing. The model for the sell-off of the NHS has been hatched and delivered here in Barnet. We have had 7 years of Future Shape, Easy Council, One Barnet and now Commissioning Council and we are finally at the point we predicted back in 2008, that the Council was looking to handover their staff to other employers, leaving behind a small core of workers. Whilst the Council will claim that decisions have not been made, staff in Barnet are fully aware of the ‘direction of travel’ for staff and will now be no doubt be making their own plans. This news presents a serious risk particularly for social services as social workers are highly likely to consider moving elsewhere. There is already a social work recruitment and retention crisis in Barnet this news is unlikely to help.”
End.
Notes to Editors.
Contact details: John Burgess Barnet UNISON on 07738389569 or 0208 359 2088 or email: john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk
Background:
Six years ago Barnet Council introduced a policy known as Future Shape which morphed into ‘easyCouncil’*.This imposed a series of tariffs on residents wishing to access a range of services. A basic service would be offered to residents at a fixed price, but ‘fast track’ services might be available if you paid extra.
This approach was quickly abandoned by the consultant driven One Barnet Programme, which led to the following Council Services being outsourced/privatised in the space of three years:
1. Social Care for Adults with disabilities to Your Choice Barnet
2. Housing Options to Barnet Homes
3. Parking Services to NSL
4. Revenues & Benefits, IT, HR & Payroll, Pensions, Health & Safety, Finance, Estates, Property Services, Procurement, Projects all now part of Capita CSG
5. Environmental Health, Planning, Building Control, Hendon Cemetery & Crematorium, Highways, Trading Standards & Licensing all now Capita RE
6. Legal Services
7. Registrars & Nationality Services
8. CCTV
9. Music Trust
10. Public Health
11. Mortuary Services.
Over the past three years our members have seen hundreds of colleagues transferred to other employers. This has often meant redundancy as the new employer moved jobs out of the borough and Greater London to places as far afield as Belfast, Carlisle, Coventry, Southampton and Darlington.
On Wednesday 25 November Chancellor George Osborne will announce details of his Comprehensive Spending Review. Barnet Council agreed at their Policy & Resources Committee, 9 July 2015 that their Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) needed to deliver £81.1 million in budget cuts.
A large part of the strategy is outsourcing and becoming a commissioning council, outsourcing their staff to other employers and asking them to deliver the staff savings.
On Wednesday 18 November councillors on Children, Education, and Libraries & Safeguarding Committee agreed to award a contract to global multinational giant Mott MacDonald.
This decision which still has to be ratified at a Full Council meeting on Tuesday 8 December 2015 will mean 476 Council workers transfer out of the Council to the private contractor.
At the same meeting councillors agreed to add staff working in Family Services to the ever growing outsourcing pipeline, aka Barnet Commissioning Council. This outsourcing project includes children’s social workers (child protection), children centre workers and youth workers among others.
At the Performance and Contract Management Committee, on Tuesday 17th November the following staffing figures were produced:
1. Education & Skills and Catering 300.93 full time equivalent posts
2. Street Scene services 428.46 full time equivalent posts
3. Library Service 114 full time equivalent posts).
4. Adults & Communities 235.71 full time equivalent posts
5. Family services 461.31 full time equivalent posts. Library figures have been excluded
6. Commissioning Group 147.87 full time equivalent posts
The decision to add all staff working in Family Services to the outsourcing project means that 92% (1,540.41 full time equivalents) of the current Barnet Council workforce are now facing the likelihood of being outsourced.
This would leave only council staff working in the Commissioning Group as Council employees.
UNISON Branch Secretary John Burgess said: On Wednesday 25 November the Chancellor George Osborne will provide the details to his Comprehensive Spending Review. It is the worst kept secret that his review will lead to damaging future for social care and public services. The attack will be delivered by either cuts and or mass outsourcing. The model for the sell-off of the NHS has been hatched and delivered here in Barnet. We have had 7 years of Future Shape, Easy Council, One Barnet and now Commissioning Council and we are finally at the point we predicted back in 2008, that the Council was looking to handover their staff to other employers, leaving behind a small core of workers. Whilst the Council will claim that decisions have not been made, staff in Barnet are fully aware of the ‘direction of travel’ for staff and will now be no doubt be making their own plans. This news presents a serious risk particularly for social services as social workers are highly likely to consider moving elsewhere. There is already a social work recruitment and retention crisis in Barnet this news is unlikely to help.”
End.
Notes to Editors.
Contact details: John Burgess Barnet UNISON on 07738389569 or 0208 359 2088 or email: john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk
Background:
Six years ago Barnet Council introduced a policy known as Future Shape which morphed into ‘easyCouncil’*.This imposed a series of tariffs on residents wishing to access a range of services. A basic service would be offered to residents at a fixed price, but ‘fast track’ services might be available if you paid extra.
This approach was quickly abandoned by the consultant driven One Barnet Programme, which led to the following Council Services being outsourced/privatised in the space of three years:
1. Social Care for Adults with disabilities to Your Choice Barnet
2. Housing Options to Barnet Homes
3. Parking Services to NSL
4. Revenues & Benefits, IT, HR & Payroll, Pensions, Health & Safety, Finance, Estates, Property Services, Procurement, Projects all now part of Capita CSG
5. Environmental Health, Planning, Building Control, Hendon Cemetery & Crematorium, Highways, Trading Standards & Licensing all now Capita RE
6. Legal Services
7. Registrars & Nationality Services
8. CCTV
9. Music Trust
10. Public Health
11. Mortuary Services.
Over the past three years our members have seen hundreds of colleagues transferred to other employers. This has often meant redundancy as the new employer moved jobs out of the borough and Greater London to places as far afield as Belfast, Carlisle, Coventry, Southampton and Darlington.