Barnet UNISON

UNISON has been actively engaged in weekly Tripartite talks with representatives from Capita and the Council. I expect information to be provided to all NSCSO staff which will help provide some clarification on what will be happening after transfer to Capita.

It is important for all members in NSCSO to come along to the UNISON briefings.

Today UNISON submitted a response to the Measures letter submitted by Barnet Council which you can view here

UNISON has been actively engaged in weekly Tripartite talks with representatives from Capita and the Council. I expect information to be provided to all NSCSO staff which will help provide some clarification on what will be happening after transfer to Capita. It is important for all members in NSCSO to come along to the UNISON briefings. Today UNISON submitted a response to the Measures letter which you can view here.

UNISON response to Adults Consultation

UNISON notes the proposed restructure is not about saving money on staff costs but about “cost recycling”. In getting the balance right between “front line” staff and non “front line” staff it should be remembered staff delivering the service are the people making sure services happen, not staff overseeing processes for delivering the service. Sufficient resources for overseeing the work are necessary insofar as they make the “front” end work possible and efficient.

UNISON has already recommended an extended consultation period as the risks associated with getting the structure wrong are high and have direct implications for the quality of care provided to Adults needing support from Social Services. The lack of support within the staff group for this proposal means we continue to make that recommendation.

To view full report click here

you can view article here

Today UNISON submitted registered a dispute at the local area JNCC with regards the Library restructure proposal. The dispute has been escalated to the People Management meeting on Monday 21 January 2013.

UNISON submitted an Alternative proposal that delivered savings but protected frontline services.

The consultation has achieved some success with the announcement that the council had reversed its decision to remove the Weekend Allowance payment however there are a number of serious concerns:

UNISON are continuing to oppose the cut of Librarian posts from 24.5 to 6.

UNISON has raised serious objections to the proposals to move Librarians out of Libraries and into North London Business Park. UNISON believes it undermines the quality of Library Service.

UNISON views this decision as the first stage of a future plan to deleting the remaining Librarian roles.

UNISON has a re-grading dispute on the following posts:                

1. Library Customer Care Services Managers. This post has been graded at scale points 32-35, UNISON have evaluated this post as scale points 34-37.

2. Library Customer Service Officers have been evaluated at scale points 21-24. UNISON has graded this post at scale points 24-27.

UNISON is seeking an urgent meeting to try and resolve this issue.

The selection process to see which library staff find a job in the new structure is underway. UNISON has objected to the early deadlines for submission of statements and the premature start of these assessments.

PLEASE NOTE: UNISON members working in Libraries are currently being balloted. If you have not yet responded please send in your ballot paper. The ballot closes on Friday 25 January.

What are tripartite meetings?

These are meetings with Barnet Council, Capita and Trade Unions. They are part of the statutory TUPE consultation.

What is a Measures Letter?

This is where the future employer has to provide details on any potential changes to terms & conditions of the staff being transferred e.g.is there going to be a restructure/redundancy after transfer.

Staff Presentation

Last week Capita provided briefings for all the services across the NSCSO project. For each service they provided a High Level presentation on proposals for the new service.

You can view the presentation here

2. Terms & Conditions discussions have begun

Yesterday official talks began with Capita & Barnet Council HR. I am hopeful that after our next Tripartite meeting on Monday 21 January we will be able to share with our members Capita proposals. Keep a look out for the next UNISON NSCSO update as we will be consulting with members on the proposals.

Just a reminder that the next NSCSO/DRS UNISON meeting is on Monday 28 January at 1 pm in Oak Room, Building 4.

3. Verification letter

It is extremely important that you check the details in this letter and that it is factually correct. If there are any local/team arrangements that have been agreed but not included in the verification letter it is important you have this included in the letter. If you have any concerns about the content please do not hesitate to contact the UNISON office.

4. What happens after the 12 month protection elapses?

Although Capita have responded in some of the briefings that all financial entitled will be protected in the event that some policies will change either after transfer or after 12 months. I can confirm that this has been consistently reinforced in our Tripartite meetings. I fully expect that a written statement will be producing detailing this commitment.

5. Barnet Homes – TUPE transfer

At our Tripartite meeting on Monday we were informed that a post was transferring to Capita.

No measure letter was provided but Barnet Home confirmed it would be provided by the time of the next meeting.

UNISON requested agency staff and TUPE list.

UNISON asked whether Barnet Homes were going to be a subcontractor for Capita on this contract. UNISON were informed that Barnet Homes & Capita are meeting to discuss possible options which could be related to face to face services, sharing local sites and perhaps staffing.