Barnet UNISON

Please find enclosed UNISON response to the Education and Skills Alternative Delivery Model.

Recommendations

1. Barnet UNISON recommends a fully resourced innovative in-house option be included alongside further development of the schools-led social enterprise option. The two joint venture options should be rejected together with the outsourcing and LATC options.

2. School catering is a highly successful income generating service serving 90% of schools in Barnet, in which all surpluses directly benefits schools. It should be excluded from the scope of the project.

3. If the Committee recommends continuing the JVC options, then Capita should be approached and asked not to bid for the education and skills contract.

4. Before the Committee make any decisions the Performance and quality category weighting should be increased from 20% to 40% with a 10% reduction in the category weightings for Strategic Direction and Cost Saving.

To view report click here

The latest outsourcing proposal to emerge in Barnet Council is going to the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee on Monday 15 September 2014.

The list of Council services involved with this outsourcing proposal can be found in the Equalities Impact Assessment here.

The list

School improvement

•           Statutory LA duties to monitor, support and challenge schools

•           Narrow the gap service (DSG funded)

Special educational needs (subject to changes being implemented by the Children and Families Act 2014 from 1st September 2014)

•           SEN placements & performance team

•           SEN Early Support Programme

•           Speech & Language therapy

•           SEN Transport – commissioning and assessment

•           Educational psychology team (part traded)

•           SEN placements (DSG funded)

•           SEN specialist support service

Admissions and sufficiency of school places

•           Pupil place planning

•           Admissions Service (DSG funded)

•           Education welfare service

Post 16 learning

•           14 – 19 service to ensure sufficiency and breadth of supply

•           Monitoring, tracking and supporting participation

Traded services within Education and Skills

•           Catering service

•           Governor clerking service

•           School improvement traded service

•           Newly Qualified Teachers

•           Educational psychology (part)

•           Education Welfare Service (part)

The total number of staff involved is 336 staff.

The report states Barnet Council staffing establishment as 2,010

Historical Information:

In a report to Barnet Council Cabinet Resources Committee October 2012 the Barnet Council staffing establishment was 3,200.16

 

Your Choice Barnet – ACAS – UNISON response

UNISON had met with the employer in June of this year at ACAS in an attempt to reach an agreement and in fact we were able to pull the Industrial Action scheduled in June on the basis of a temporary agreement we reached with YCB to reinstate the pay of our members and to continue with thorough negotiations to explore alternatives to the imposition of a 9.5% cut in pay to the workforce. The outcome of those negotiations resulted in a revised offer which, not surprisingly, was not one our members felt they could accept (8.31% pay cut). However, what the negotiations did reveal was the extent to which Barnet Council’s charging policies and its practices undermines the ability of YCB to survive financially. YCB is wholly owned by the Council.

UNISON has requested a 3-way meeting with the Council and YCB as it is difficult to see how negotiations can progress positively without such a meeting. The Council has refused to be a part of this.

 

UNISON is prepared to meet with YCB at ACAS. In fact we had proposed meeting at ACAS Friday 12^th September but we understand other parties were not available. We are now trying to identify another suitable dates.

Come and join “Your Choice Barnet” (YCB) care workers over the next six weeks

Over the next six weeks YCB care strikers will be taking part in a number of actions. Please have a look and see if you can join them.

Our care workers begin two days of strike action on Monday 8 Sept & Tuesday 9 Sept.

 

We are organising two  picket lines which start from 7.30 am but they will be there for at least five hours on each day so please pop down to offer support and solidarity.

Flower Lane day centre 41 Flower Lane, Mill Hill, NW7 2JN venue details here

Rosa Morrison day centre 85 Gloucester Road, New Barnet, Herts, EN5 1NA venue details here

Tuesday 9 September 2014 strike action, picket lines at Flower lane, Rosa Morrison, Community Space, start 7.30 a.m. onwards, Rally outside Barnet House 1pm.

Wednesday 10 September 2014 attend SWAN meeting Southbank University 6.30pm

Monday 15 September 2014 lobby outside Hendon Town Hall 6 – 7 pm

Wednesday 17 September 2014 Strike action, picket lines at Flower lane, Rosa Morrison, Community Space, start 7.30 a.m.

Thursday 18 September 2014 Strike action, picket lines at Flower lane, Rosa Morrison, Community Space, start 7.30 a.m.

Monday 22 September 2014 lobby and attend YCB Board Meeting, Barnet House

Tuesday 23 September 2014 lobby full council meeting.

Tuesday 14 October 2014 Strike action, picket lines at Flower lane, Rosa Morrison, Community Space, start 7.30 a.m. Day of National pay strike

Thursday 16 October 2014, Strike action, picket lines at Flower lane, Rosa Morrison, Community Space, start 7.30 a.m.

Saturday 18 October 2014 join TUC austerity demonstration.

Why Your Choice Barnet (YCB) Care workers are taking strike action

In the local press the YCB chief executive said “The rates of pay for Adult Social Care are a national issue”,  Yes we agree There is a national social care crisis AND Doncaster Care UK dispute is evidence of this BUT there is a local crisis in relation to how care workers are treated.

To those who want to know what has driven care workers to take strike action it is important you understand the perverse relationship with Barnet “Commissioning” Council and Your Choice Barnet (YCB). The current funding arrangements between Barnet Council and Your Choice Barnet are the cause of this dispute and that is why we are requesting Barnet Council to come to the table in order to try and find a resolution to this dispute.

It is important to note Barnet Council own Your Choice Barnet yet at the same time they are the architects of its current critical financial crisis facing YCB. If Barnet Homes had not provided Your Choice Barnet a £1 million loan (last year) then the service would have folded. On top of securing a £1 million loan, YCB cut our members terms & conditions and almost a third of the workforce were made redundant. However the ongoing financial crisis meant that six months later YCB came back for more.

Breaking News: Last week Barnet UNISON made a request to talk to Barnet Council about the current YCB dispute, unfortunately we were informed they would not speak with UNISON because the Chief Executive had told staff in a meeting last week the dispute had nothing to do with Barnet Council.

Barnet UNISON begs to differ. Over the last six months we have had detailed discussions with YCB in order to try and find a resolution. Having seen the financial accounts and understood the financial arrangements with Barnet Council we made the following proposals which we believe would give YCB a fighting chance to survive:

1. Barnet Homes writes off the £1 million loan.

2. Barnet Council stop penalising YCB for ‘no shows’.

3. Barnet Council pays up front to YCB in order to help the cash flow situation.

4. Barnet Council pays the going rate for the services being offered.

5. Barnet Council conducts an immediate investigation as to why Adult Social care services have referred only a handful of referrals in the last 2 and half years.

6. Senior management and other Service Level Agreement costs imposed on YCB are reduced.

7. YCB & Barnet Council find a more efficient way to invoice for services. The current arrangement is that Barnet Group invoice Barnet Council then YCB invoice Barnet Group.

8. YCB is allowed to independently procure its own support services and not be forced to use Capita CSG services.

 

To end this dispute and to support services for adults with disabilities Barnet Council must and should come to the table.

When is failure not a failure……..

“Commercial risk ultimately remains with the Council and in the unlikely event of failure, the services will need to be brought back in-house.” (Source: Page 57 of the Business Case approved at Cabinet Resources Committee 24.May 2011 http://j.mp/WtVImC)

Since the service transferred out of the Council in February 2012

· Your Choice Barnet (YCB) had to take a £1 million loan from Barnet Homes (100% owned by Barnet Council)

· Your Choice Barnet do not have the money to pay back a £1 million loan

· Barnet Council are holding back payment of hundreds of thousands pounds every year from Your Choice Barnet

· Barnet Council are not referring new business to Your Choice Barnet Unison

· A third of the workforce were made redundant last year

This promise made in a public council committee meeting and it is our view YCB is failing and as they said in the committee “commercial risk remains with the Council” in which case they must take part in negotiations with Barnet UNISON & YCB.