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APSE briefing to UNISON members
APSE briefing to BAPS and other residents associations and press launch
APSE briefing of Branch Committee
APSE briefing of Audit Committee
Barnet UNISON Evaluation of the Bidders ( EC Harris and Capita Symonds) for DRS
Dear Councillors
You may be aware that recently staff working across Regulatory Services had the opportunity to meet the two contractors bidding to win the DRS contract to deliver services such as Planning, Environmental Services to name but a few and of course to take over running of Hendon Crematorium & Cemetery.
UNISON welcomed the opportunity for staff to meet the bidders and I would like to commend the senior officers for enabling this to take place.
UNISON felt it was important to capture the feedback from our members as to what they had learnt from the presentation.
UNISON carried out a simple survey of our members attending both presentations and we now have the results which I promised my members I would share with all 63 councillors.
Below are four key issues emerging from the presentation
1. Only 27% of members expressed confidence that EC Harris can effectively deliver their service, as compared with only 3% for Capita
2. Only 19% of members were confident EC Harris would not make staff redundant after TUPE transfer as compared with only 12% for Capita Symonds
3. Only 24% of members believed EC Harris would protect flexi time, flexible working, membership of the pension scheme and terms & conditions as compared with 9% for Capita Symonds
4. The majority of our members want to meet the Bidders before the preferred Bidder is selected
I hope that you will all have time to read and consider our presentation (click here ) and support our request that further meeting with both Bidders be arranged for staff before the preferred bidder is selected.
Best wishes
John Burgess
Branch Secretary.
Barnet UNISON
Update on One Barnet redundancies in NSL & RR Donnelley
Last week I attended a number of 1:1 meetings with former council workers who have been transferred to NSL and the subcontractor RR Donnelley. The ‘one barnet redundancy’ clock is ticking, it is apparent there are little or no realistic opportunities for redeployment for them. NSL have provided our members with details of jobs with NSL in towns and cities all across the UK none of which are appropriate or realsistic options. I know that staff are being told in briefings that ‘outsourcing’ need not be a negative experience, in fact there could be real opportunities for career development! I don’t know who writes this script but I have yet to find a member who believes that ‘outsourcing’ is an opportunity for career development! I think my members facing redundancy at the end of this month would have much stronger words to describe how they feel they have been treated.
One Barnet the ‘Graph of Doom!’
Earlier this week an article appeared in the Guardian about Barnet Councils ‘Graph of Doom’ part of the article goes on to say
“Barnet, once dubbed “easyCouncil”, is known for its enthusiastic embrace of service outsourcing. But the Graph of Doom is quite separate. Irrespective of savings planned under the One Barnet transformation strategy, the slide demonstrates that demographic change – more children, more older people – is going to soak up every penny the authority has.”
Later it adds
“The graph should not be taken too literally: by making no provision for Barnet's anticipated rise in income through regeneration schemes, for instance, it overstates the bleakness of the outlook.”
Council workers may remember this Barnet Council youtube video published just before consultation on the Council Budget began. The video did paint a stark picture that the Council will ‘run out of money’ the video portrayed this scenario as inevitable and it is being used to justify the need to outsource council services. So there we have it, councillors and residents and staff are being bombarded with “we are all doomed message”
However a local Blogger Mr Reasonable (and he really is very reasonable), quickly spotted the flaws in this presentation, take a look at what he had to say back 1 October 2011 here
ProDemocracy Public Services Rally on Saturday 26 May from 11 – 1 pm outside Osidge Library
This Saturday 26 May from 11 am to 1 pm Barnet UNISON along with other Council Trade Unions are going to be joined by Barnet Alliance for Public Services (BAPS) and a host of other local campaigning groups including the Save Friern Library campaign to leaflet residents in Brunswick ward. Their leaflet warns residents about the One Barnet mass privatisation policy which is currently being rolled out across all council services.
All who value public services are welcome to join us outside Osidge Library, Brunswick Park Road, London, N11 1EY
Southwark Council bring customer services back in house
Last year Southwark Council made the decision to bring back their Revenues & Benefits Service in-house.
On Wednesday 15 May Southwark Cabinet committee agreed to bring their Customers Services back in-house.
To view report click here