Hardship application forms
Some our members are about to begin industrial action.
If you are taking action please download the Hardship application form here
Branch response to the Council Offer
Barnet Council is carrying out an intensive and aggressive campaign to undermine UNISON and to seek to prevent our members from taking striek action on Tuesday 13 September aka Barnet Independence Day.
To read our response to the Council offer click here
Press Release: 400 UNISON members to take strike action on Barnet Independence Day 13 Sept
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
On Tuesday 13 September up to 400 UNISON members working across the following services will be taking strike action
Trading Standards & Licensing, Land Charges, Planning & Development, Building Control & Structures, Environmental Health, Highways Strategy, Highways Network Management, Highways Traffic & Development, Highways Transport & Regeneration, Strategic Planning & Regeneration, Cemeteries & Crematoria; Parking Services, Revs & Bens,
The Trades Dispute concerns the identity of the employer. Barnet Council is promoting the One Barnet programme which is just a ‘remix version’ of the ‘contracting out’ ideology from the 1980’s. There are already several contracts out for consultation with the private sector. The value of the contracts (fast approaching almost £2 billion) has already attracted the big Private sector FAT CATS.
Up to 70% of the council workforce could be transferred to the Private sector in little more than 16 months time.
Dave Prentis general secretary message to Barnet UNISON.
“To the 400 UNISON members taking strike action: UNISON members across the country are standing shoulder to shoulder with you as you challenge this council – a council that refuses to listen to its workforce, a council that refuses to listen to logic or sense, a council now embarking on a reckless gamble”
“Last week our union commissioned a report on the impact of outsourcing on the council’s pension scheme. The report gave a damning assessment of the serious financial risks to the pension scheme as a direct result of One Barnet programme.
Heather Wakefield UNISON’s head of local government,
‘The widescale privatisation at the heart of One Barnet should be placed under the severest scrutiny by Government, Barnet’s scrutiny committee and the people of Barnet themselves. The council’s failure to ensure procurement procedures and the obvious detrimental impact on the Local Government Pension Scheme of privatisation of local services are just two good reasons for challenging the path that Barnet has chosen. The third is the waste of public money involved in the procurement process through payments to consultants, procurement costs and payments to shareholders – money which should be invested in local people and local services.’
John Burgess Barnet UNISON Branch Secretary said
“The Council need to recognise that ‘political dogma’ also known as One Barnet programme cannot be allowed to continue to expose residents, services and staff to a high risk strategy and expect them to pick up the bill.
What we mean by ‘independence’
A recent article “Greensquare Field – Planning to Outsource Planning posted on the local Barnet Eye Blog encapsulates conflict of interest’s issues:
“At the moment Barnet Council is in the middle of tendering to outsource a number of services, one of which is the planning service. In the running are a number of companies: Capita Symonds, Atkins, Jacobs and E C Harrison. The planning consultants who represent Higgins Homes plc, and have done through 2 planning applications, 2 planning appeals, a village green application and the draft LDF, work for Capita Symonds. If Capita win the tender, they will decide any future planning applications.”
As council services for Barnet as a place to live and work, our decisions must be 100% independent and free from any ‘conflict of interest’.
Barnet Alliance have recently published a newspaper their front page spells out the dangers of the One Barnet here
Barnet UNISON is asking for the One Barnet programme to be put on hold.
End.
Contact: John Burgess Barnet UNISON on 07738389569 or email: john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk
Useful Links
1. Outsourcing Planning – local blog
http://barneteye.blogspot.com/2011/09/guest-blog-greensquare-field-planning.html
2. The potential impact of reduced active membership of the London borough of Barnet Pension Fund,’ (First Actuarial LLP)
To read summary click on link below
To read full report click on link below
3. Barnet Alliance newspaper ‘Our Barnet’
http://barnetalliance.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/baps_2_aug_2011-page-011.pdf
http://barnetalliance.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/baps_2_aug_2011_centre2.pdf
http://barnetalliance.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/baps_2_aug_2011-page-041.pdf
4. Life not so easy for council facing £1.5m outsource bill
http://www.localgov.co.uk/index.cfm?method=news.detail&id=100493
5. The ‘shrinking by outsourcing’ models – implications for staff
http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/Barnet_Briefing%20No%206.pdf
6. Directors Cut for Barnet Independence Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3826zTEyhoI
7. Obama direct message to striking UNISON members
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H4csb-Sgz4&feature=related
Obama direct message to UNISON members on Barnet Independence Day
GoAnimate.com: Obama direct message to UNISON members by Barnet UNISON
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Our Barnet Newspaper now out
Obama sends message of solidarity to UNISON members
GoAnimate.com: Obama sends mesage of support to Barnet UNISON by Barnet UNISON
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President Obama, David Cameron and the stolen banner
GoAnimate.com: Obama & Cameron and the stolen banner by Barnet UNISON
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e NEWS
To view click here
Supporting Barnet FC
UNISON actuarial report warns of ‘death spiral’ to Pension Fund from mass outsourcing ‘One Barnet’ programme
1 September 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UNISON actuarial report warns of ‘death spiral’ to Pension Fund from mass outsourcing ‘One Barnet’ programme.
In wake of concerns about the Barnet Councils One Barnet mass outsourcing policy, UNISON commissioned a report on the ‘Potential impact of reduced active membership of the London borough of Barnet Pension Fund’
The report makes scary reading for residents, staff and councillors:
“The net cash flow position of the Fund could reduce from around £22.9 million (positive) in 2010 to between £16.9 million (positive) and £25.0 million (negative) in 2012. Opt outs as low as 40% could result in a move from the Fund being cash positive to cash negative.
The Fund had a deficit (i.e. the difference between the assets and the liabilities) of £190 million as at 31 March 2010, which was partly as a result of the wiping out of around £27 million of the Fund’s assets following the collapse of the Icelandic bank. The Council is currently paying around £10.7 million a year to clear this deficit
The combined impact of the lower assets and higher liabilities will increase the deficit and could almost double the Council’s deficit contributions to £19.7 million a year from 2013. This is ultimately a cost to the taxpayer.
“A significant shift in outsourcing policy by Barnet Council set against a backdrop of mass opt-outs expected as a result of Government’s proposals to increase member contributions in the LGPS from April 2012, could lead to a significantly reduced active membership of the Fund.”
At tonight’s Pension Fund Committee (Thursday 1 September), Agenda Item 9 reports the Council have £7 million less than they thought they had.
“The overall effect of the adjustments listed below is to decrease Fund assets by £7.0m (Agenda 9)
On 22 June 2011 Pension Fund Committee were informed Barnet Homes had not noticed the Bond for Connaught’s Plc had lapsed. The consequence is an unplanned £1.492 million bill to Barnet council taxpayers
The ‘One Barnet programme’ is not a new political ideology, it is a rehashed version of the ‘contracting out madness’ of the 1980’s which damaged public services and destroyed the lives of the a workforce abandoned to unscrupulous employers.
We have already had a warning of what could happen to our Pensions with outsourcing. Between 2000 and 2004 hundreds of council care workers were *TUPE transferred out of the council to Fremantle Trust and Housing 21, there are very few TUPED staff still contributing to the Fund.
Three years ago UNISON raised the risk to the Pension Fund, however until now the Council have fobbed off our concerns. That all changed at the Budget and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee Meeting June 22 2011 a report entitled ‘One Barnet’ highlight report was produced. If you scroll down through the document, for the first time you see the Council acknowledges there is a risk.
“Risk Number CP0010
Risk: The negative affect on the Pension Fund due to loss of payees
Consequences of risk: Potentially reduced pension fund thus raising the necessity to find finances from elsewhere”
The Council is playing high stake risks with our member’s pensions and council taxpayers future payments.
The Council need to recognise that ‘political dogma’ also known as One Barnet programme cannot continue to expose residents, services and staff to this high risk strategy and expect them to pick up the bill.
Barnet UNISON is asking for the One Barnet programme to be put on hold.
On Tuesday 13 September up to 400 UNISON members will be taking strike action as a result of a Trades Dispute UNISON has with the One Barnet programme. They have dubbed the action Barnet Independence Day.
* TUPE = Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations
End.
Contact: John Burgess Barnet UNISON on 07738389569 or email: john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk
Useful Links
1. ‘The potential impact of reduced active membership of the London borough of Barnet Pension Fund,’ (First Actuarial LLP)
To read summary click on link below
To read full report click on link below
2. Life not so easy for council facing £1.5m outsource bill
http://www.localgov.co.uk/index.cfm?method=news.detail&id=100493
3. Barnet Council Pension Fund Committee papers 22 June 2011
http://committeepapers.barnet.gov.uk/democracy/meetings/meetingdetail.asp?MeetingID=6782
4. Barnet Council Pension Fund Committee papers 1 September 2011
http://committeepapers.barnet.gov.uk/democracy/meetings/meetingdetail.asp?meetingID=6786
5. The ‘shrinking by outsourcing’ models – implications for staff
http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/Barnet_Briefing%20No%206.pdf
6. Directors Cut for Barnet Independence Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3826zTEyhoI
7. Barnet UNISON One Barnet Cartoon Channel
http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/664