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Mandatory Vaccines

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Is the clue in the title: Manda “Tory” vaccines?

Health and Social Care settings are about to face devastating numbers of staff being sacked from those areas of work as mandatory COVID vaccines are introduced. 3rd February is the last day to have the first dose if you want to be covered by the time it becomes law.

Lobbying by our union, UNISON, and other organisations is going on apace in order to stop or delay this introduction. UNISON has always encouraged members to get vaccinated but has insisted this is a personal choice and is wholly opposed to it being made mandatory. Vaccination as a condition of deployment (VCOD) for health and care workers (England) Frequently Asked Questions | health news | News | UNISON National

As many as 73,000 staff nationwide will be lost from frontline services. The loss of staff on this scale will inevitably pose a serious public health risk in itself.

In the last month Barnet UNISON has been trying to work out with Adults Social Care and Family Services who may be affected by the measure and who is not. Our position with the employer is that the guidance should be interpreted as generously as possible to keep colleagues at work and on the frontline.

What we can see now is that CQC regulated areas of activity are the ones which are affected. If you work in a setting where CQC inspections do not take place, but your employer is saying you must have the vaccine we need to know now. We therefore expect all workers in Family Services to also be exempt from the regulation. Please let us know immediately if this is not the case.

The current information would also strongly suggest that those colleagues in Adult Social Care carrying out assessments under the Care Act (provided they do not have to go in and out of a health care setting, care home etc.) are also exempt. We will update you further.

In the meantime, please do lobby your MP and participate in the National Day of Action for the NHS February 26th. Events – SOS NHS

Street Scene Payroll surgery 2 February 2022

Austerity, Local, News, UNISON Campaign

On Wednesday 2 February 2022 an online pay roll surgery will take place for staff working in Street Scene.

There will be two sessions:

 

6 am to 7.30 am.

 

11 am to 1 pm.

 

The Pay roll surgery is for staff who have any issues with their January 2022 Pay slip.

 

If you want to book a time to deal with your pay slip issue, please contact your supervisor and your UNISON rep.

 

For further assistance please email Barnet UNISON on contactus@barnetunison.org.uk or leave a message on 0208 359 2088

 

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NJC industrial action ballot – England and Wales result

Austerity, National

The ballot of members for industrial action regarding 2021 NJC pay closed today in England and Wales (it remains open in Northern Ireland until 10 February).

 

The final results of the ballot are as follows:

 

70.2% of members voted YES to strike action

29.8% voted NO to strike action

The ballot turnout was 14.5%

 

It is clear that an overwhelming majority of those who voted were prepared to show their anger at the employers’ 1.75% pay offer by taking strike action. However, the turnout result is disappointing, and as you know, we can only take action if we achieve the turnout threshold of 50%.

 

UNISON’s NJC Committee meets next week, on Tuesday 18 January, and will consider next steps – as well as beginning to discuss 2022 pay. In the meantime, we would ask that branches do not post these results on social media, as this could be unhelpful in advance of the NJC Committee making any decisions. We will be writing to members and employers to inform them of the result.

 

We now have some more information about the GMB’s recent indicative ballot on industrial action. GMB have rejected the offer, but without getting the show of support necessary to give confidence that they would get the required mandate for industrial action. They are also now considering their next steps. Unite are currently balloting members for industrial action, and their ballots close on various dates from 17 February.

 

Branches and regions are thanked for all your efforts in campaigning for a ‘yes’ vote for action and maximising turnout. Despite not getting the turnout we needed, we are clear that the vote for action is something we must build on in future campaigns.

 

Contact NJCpay2021@unison.co.uk

End.

ASSIST – the 4th emergency service – to be privatised

ASSIST, Barnet Group, Barnet Homes, Local, Trades Dispute, UNISON Campaign

 

ASSIST ‘The 4th Emergency Service’

The Barnet Group have put out to tender part or all the services that our colleagues at ASSIST provide.

During the pandemic, Barnet Group management were calling ASSIST the 4th Emergency Service because of the vital services they provide to the most vulnerable in our community.

The service has been starved of investment, deliberately, by both the Barnet Group and the London Borough of Barnet, making it impossible for the service to ‘bid’ for contracts that would ensure the continuation of the service and enable it to expand.

UNISON have been informed that the yearly deficit to keep ASSIST open is £300k – but £140k yearly is the amount of unbilled service that ASSIST provides to the Barnet Group – and would have to be paid to any new provider, should any decide to bid on the tender.

Now LBB and TBG have decided that a new LBB directly funded role is merited in The Barnet Group a new ‘Head of Business Development & Transformation’ in Your Choice Barnet with a salary ‘outside’ of our Job Evaluation process but will be well in excess of £60k per year.

When will The Barnet Group and The London Borough of Barnet learn that it is frontline services to the public that should have priority when it comes to funding, not overpaid consultants?

What is to ‘Develop’ or ‘Transform’ if our services are privatised?

The message to the Barnet Group and the London Borough of Barnet is:

 The only TUPE out of the Barnet Group that is acceptable to ASSIST UNISON members is a TUPE back in to LBB

where the service came from in the first place.

Please send messages of support to ASSIST

via contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

Barnet UNISON negotiates HGV drivers pay increase in November 2021

Austerity, Local, News, UNISON Campaign

After months of negotiations and feedback from our members an agreement was reached with Barnet Council back in November 2021 for all depot staff with a Class 2 HGV driving licence.

This is what was offered:

“

the council’s Corporate Management Team that a 10% recruitment and retention payment (based on your current core salary) will be paid to all employees required to have a Class 2 HGV driving licence for work purposes. This is to ensure your work offer and pay remains competitive and is such that you want to continue your employment with the council. This will apply for a 12-month period from 01 October 2021 and will be split into four payments. The payments will be made in your December 2021, March 2022, June 2022, and September 2022 payslips.

”

The first payment was made in December 2021.

 

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