Come and join “Your Choice Barnet” (YCB) care workers over the next six weeks
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
Monday 8 September 2014 strike action, picket lines at Flower lane, Rosa Morrison, Community Space, start 7.30 onwards.
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
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……..Your Choice Barnet
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.
SOLIDARITY social evening with Care UK and Your Choice Barnet
Barnet UNISON invite all their members to Save the NHS
“Dear UNISON members including your family and friends
The NHS needs all of our support. Now is the time for all of us in London to stand up and fight for the NHS.
“Used by us, owned by us, loved by us. Now the NHS can only be saved by us.”
These are the words of a group of mums who desperately want to protect our country’s most treasured service, the NHS.
They started a march from Jarrow in the north east on 16th August and they want all of us to join them when they reach London on Saturday 6th September.
The march is called ‘999 Call for the NHS’.
The marchers are mums from Darlington who love our NHS and want to protect it. They will have walked nearly 300 miles over three weeks, through over 20 towns and cities in England by the time they reach Edmonton Green.
You can read more details about the march here.
Barnet UNISON will be waiting to meet and march with them from Edmonton Green to Central London.
You can choose where you want join up and support the NHS march and anyone can join.
10.00 Depart Edmonton Green
11.45 Lunch in Clissold Park, Hackney
14.00 MARCH TO PARLIAMENT
Assemble Unite Head office, 128 Theobald’s Road, WC1X 8TN to join the final stage of the march
15.30 RALLY IN PARLIAMENT SQUARE
http://999callfornhs.org.uk/london-rally/4585674915
Best wishes
John Burgess
Branch Secretary
Barnet UNISON”
“NHS needs all of our help – please join “mothers march for the NHS”
“NHS saved my mother’s life, NHS saved my father’s life, NHS saved my sisters life, NHS saved my brother’s life, NHS saved my sons life, NHS saved my daughter’s life, NHS saved my friends life”
Now is time for all of us in London to stand up and fight for the NHS.
Background to march
“Used by us, owned by us, loved by us. Now the NHS can only be saved by us.”
These are the words of a group of mums who desperately want to protect our country’s most treasured service, the NHS. So they’re taking to the streets. Can you join them?
‘999 Call for the NHS’ is a group of mums from Darlington who love our NHS and want to protect it. They’re walking a massive 300 miles over three weeks, through over 20 towns and cities in England. More details here
The march has been given massive support as it has made its way south to London. On Saturday 6 September 2014 there is an opportunity to bring our community (Barnet) together and highlight the attacks on the NHS both locally and nationally.
I hope you can all join with Barnet UNISON and other Londoners to march from Edmonton Green to central London this Saturday 6 September 10 am Edmonton Green.
Details of march and rally are here http://999callfornhs.org.uk/the-london-rally/4585674915
What you can do to help
1. Join the march on Saturday 6 September
2. Send a message to the march that you are joining it on Saturday by simply clicking here
3. Support and promote the march and rally on Twitter/Blogs/Face book
4. Hashtag for the march is #March4NHS
Message of support from John McDonnell MP
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Care Workers to take strike action 8th and 9th September.
Barnet UNISON Press Release: 29 August 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Care Workers to take strike action 8th and 9th September.
UNISON members working for Your Choice Barnet (YCB) have just announced their strike dates as being 8th and 9th September with another 4 days of action to follow that. In addition the workers will be lobbying the Council and participating in demonstrations. This is in a bid to reverse the harsh 9.5% pay cut imposed on them by their employer.
The more UNISON has seen of the finances of YCB, the more it has confirmed our view that YCB can only survive if our members are prepared to take ongoing massive pay cuts. We are stunned by the comments last week attributed to YCB Chief Executive “YCB employees are still paid well above the median for reputable care and support providers in London. We have no employees below the London Living Wage and the majority are significantly higher.” Earlier this year in a public meeting another Director in Barnet describing this 9.5% pay cut as a “haircut”. Neither comments have gone down well with our members, many of whom have queried how highly paid officers can make these sort of flippant comments. Our members would have been struggling financially even before this massive pay cut.
It has become clear over the last 18 months that the financial viability of YCB rests solely with Barnet Council. Barnet created a company which could never survive without ongoing massive attacks on the terms and conditions of the workforce.
UNISON Branch Secretary John Burgess said:
“Our members care for the service users and have shown remarkable professionalism over the last eighteen months once details of the serious financial issues emerged. Almost 30% of the workforce has been made redundant which is placing a strain on the remaining staff. But things can’t go on like this, if the Commissioning Council want YCB to survive they need to enter in to talks on the UNISON 8 point Charter immediately. We have requested a meeting but to date had no response.”
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. Your Choice Barnet (YCB) “The real deal” here
2. Barnet UNISON Your Choice Barnet 8 Point charter http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1397
3. Barnet UNISON response to Your Choice Barnet Consultation Paper
4. ‘The way out of financial crisis’ Analysis of Consultation Paper Your Choice Barnet Ltd The Barnet Group Ltd (Local Authority Trading Company), London Borough of Barnet
http://www.socialworkfuture.org/attachments/article/330/CADDSS%20analysis%20.pdf
5. Barnet UNISON Report: The Barnet Group Ltd, Local Authority Trading Company: Privatising Adults and Housing Services
6. Stop the ongoing destruction of services for adults with disabilities in Barnet petition https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-ongoing-destruction-of-services-for-adults-with-disabilities-in-barnet