Category: Health and Safety
Solidarity from Barnet GMB for Barnet Repairs workers
Branch Secretary John Burgess on Barnet Council Housing Repair workers strike
Solidarity from Amerit UNISON Vice President
Solidarity from Andrea UNISON President
89% of Barnet UNISON members vote to Reject National Pay offer
Barnet UNISON members were recently balloted on the National Pay offer as part of UNISON’s national consultation on pay for Council and School support staff.
Barnet UNISON reps had taken the decision to recommend that our members should reject the offer.
The response from our members has been dramatic and reflects the grassroots organisational strength of Barnet UNISON.
The results confirm that our members did listen to their rep’s view on the National Pay offer and voted overwhelmingly to reject the offer.
Barnet UNISON delivered a 55% turnout of members voting across our members working for Barnet Council and Barnet Schools.
We are pleased to report the following turnouts across some sections of our membership:
- 92% of Waste & Recycling members voted
- 71% Street cleaning members voted
- 80% Highways members voted
- 70% Grounds Maintenance members voted
- 64% Passenger Transport members voted
- 78% Workshop members voted
- 68% Library members voted
- 67% of Adult Social care members voted
- 50% Commissioning members voted
- 50% of school staff members voted
- 67% BELS members voted
- 66% in Early Help Family Services voted
The message from Barnet UNISON members that they recognise the need for a National Pay Award which delivers a Pay Rise not a Pay Cut.
Barnet UNISON produced the largest number of REJECT votes of any UNISON branch in London.
Our results have been sent on to UNISON where all the votes across UNISON will be counted.
Please note Unite and GMB National Pay ballots are still live until into the middle of October.
Barnet UNISON will report back to our members once all three trade unions have decided what action needs to be taken.
In the meantime, Barnet UNISON is already in Pay & Grading negotiations which will have an impact on all our members working for the London Borough of Barnet. We will be providing updates on negotiations in due course.
Any questions or queries please leave a message on our voicemail on 0208 359 2088 or email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk
End.
Barnet Council Housing Repairs workers 100 % vote for all out strike action
20 September 2022.
What is this dispute about?
In one word it’s quite simple…………“Solidarity”
One of our members a Barnet Council Housing Repairs worker was injured at work.
His employer Barnet Homes, an organisation 100% owned by Barnet Council refused to provide sick pay.
Barnet UNISON tried to persuade the employer to reconsider but the employer refuses to change their position.
Our members were upset at the treatment of their fellow worker and in solidarity demanded to be balloted. All of our manual workers were clear that it was a matter of principle. Any of them could be injured at work. They understand the terror of trying to survive in the worst cost of living crisis in 75 years on low pay. They don’t understand why their employer is deliberately taking an aggressive attack on their work colleague. All of these workers worked throughout Covid and at one time were clapped as key workers.
The other back story is that our member who was injured is a Kosovo refugee. Very few people will understand what he has endured in his journey from Kosovo to London.
All we are asking is for the employer to pay his sick pay for the time period he was denied pay.
There have been many attempts by Barnet UNISON to reach out to Barnet Homes to try to avoid this dispute. Barnet UNISON had negotiated a new contract for these workers, with sick pay. To try to avert this dispute Barnet UNISON asked Barnet Homes to bring the contract forward by 3 weeks to cover our member when he was injured. This proposal was rejected.
We cannot understand why Barnet Homes prefers to engage in a battle about an amount of money which is almost insignificant to Barnet Homes but means all the world to this one member of staff. Our members would much rather be working for Barnet residents and providing a vital service, but the work they do cannot be at the expense of one of their colleagues being mistreated.
Barnet UNISON has approached Barnet Council and Barnet Labour Party on several occasions over the past four months to try to resolve this dispute.
The results of our strike ballot are as follows:
- 100% turnout
- 100% vote for strike action.
Our members have voted for all-out strike action. This means they are going out and staying out. This is not a 3 day strike then back to work.
Our members are angry and determined.
“Dear Helen and Branch members
Congratulations! What a fantastic result and fantastic show of solidarity to your comrade. ‘Workers united we will not be defeated’
I send a message of solidarity to your branch and members who have decided that they will not leave anyone behind, the strongest and greatest position any workforce can show!!
When you have the dates let me know and I will make every effort to attend your picket line.” (Andrea Egan UNISON President)
Details of when the strike action will start will be published in due course.
End.
Note to Editors: Contact details: Barnet UNISON on or 020 8359 2088 or email: Helen.Davies@barnetunison.org.uk
Background:
- Breaking News: Official Strike ballot begins for Barnet Council Housing Repairs workers
- Barnet Responsive Repairs workers referred to UNISON’s Industrial Action Committee
- Barnet Council Repairs Operatives 100% turnout and 100% vote for strike action.
4. Barnet Council’s Company Refuse to Show Compassion for Injured Worker https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2022/07/13/barnet-councils-company-refuse-to-show-compassion-for-injured-worker/
Breaking News: Official Strike ballot begins for Barnet Council Housing Repairs workers
25 August 2022.
On Thursday 25 August our Council Housing Repairs members are being balloted for strike action after talks broke down yesterday.
Their employer is called Barnet Homes, which is part of The Barnet Group, which is 100% owned by Barnet Council.
The reason for the strike is the refusal of the employer to pay sick pay to a worker who injured himself at work.
The worker is a low paid manual worker. We are not talking big money here.
The principle is an important one. When a worker is injured at work they should be in receipt of sick pay. The fact that we are in the middle of the biggest cost of living crisis in 75 years makes the decision of the employer not to pay is not just wrong but cruel.
Barnet UNISON had conducted an indicative ballot which generated a 100% turnout and a 100% vote for strike if our member is not given sick pay.
In the talks the employer seemed oblivious to the terror the cost-of-living crisis is having on their low paid staff.
We will continue to keep the door open to resolve this dispute, but the ballot has started and is due end 15 September, which means there is still time for the employer to do the right thing.
As “The Barnet Group” are owned by Barnet Council, Barnet UNISON will now escalate to Barnet Council and Barnet Labour Party to try to secure an end to this dispute.
End.
Note to Editors: Contact details: Barnet UNISON on or 020 8359 2088 or email: Helen.Davies@barnetunison.org.uk
Background:
Barnet Responsive Repairs workers referred to UNISON’s Industrial Action Committee
Barnet Council Repairs Operatives 100% turnout and 100% vote for strike action.
Barnet Council’s Company Refuse to Show Compassion for Injured Worker https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2022/07/13/barnet-councils-company-refuse-to-show-compassion-for-injured-worker/
Why we must fight for a Pay rise and not a Pay cut.
Barnet UNISON reps at our Branch Executive meeting agreed that Barnet UNISON would make a recommendation to our members to reject the Employers offer.
Below are some of the reasons why we have taken this position.
- Local Government Pay has fallen by 27.5% since 2010 because of 12 years of Tory Austerity Pay Cuts.
- The latest offer is another Pay cut not a Pay rise.
- The Tories Austerity Policy is to make us all poorer.
Politicians claim there is no magic money tree
- Shell made record profits of nearly £10bn between April and June
- BT Group announced profits £400 million in the first quarter of this year.
- BT made “1.3 billion and gave £750 million to shareholders.
- British Gas owner Centrica profits increased fivefold by 411% to £1.3 billion as our energy bills continue to soar.
- BT CEO Philip Jansen earned a total of £3,460,000 up 32% from the £2,628,000 he received in 2021.
- Railways made £5 billion in profit last year.
What Tory Austerity Policies are doing to us.
- UK households face annual energy bills of £3,850, this has tripled since the start of 2022.
- Household energy bills £500 a month.
- 5.8 million people in England, Scotland and Wales, both in and out of work – 40% of universal credit claimants are workers.
- 5 million people in the UK lived in food poverty between 2019 – 2020.
- Workers are turning to food banks because they don’t have enough money.
- Foodbanks are running out of food because they can’t cope with the demand.
- School support staff are missing meals in order they can feed their own children at home.
What can we do?
Barnet UNISON members are going to carry out a National Pay survey. It is important that every single member completes the survey and posts it back. First, we need over 50% of members to vote in the survey. Second, we want most of those voting to Vote Reject. “UK inflation could reach 15% by start of 2023, experts say” Every month inflation rises makes this offer worse for more of our members.
Barnet UNISON will issue the National Pay survey on Thursday 1 September until 5pm, Friday 16 September.
Members will receive an email with a link to the survey. Those with no access to email will receive a hard copy survey.
End.
Barnet Responsive Repairs workers referred to UNISON’s Industrial Action Committee
‘We do physical work, our comrade was injured working for Barnet Homes, we are standing with him against an employer that feels it doesn’t have to pay him – it could’ve happened to any of us’.
(Barnet Repairs worker and UNISON member).
Barnet Homes, a subsidiary of Barnet Council’s Local Authority Trading Company the Barnet Group, is refusing to pay sick pay to a worker injured whilst at work.
The demand from Responsive Repairs workers is simple – pay a colleague who was injured at work for time off to rest and recuperate from his injury.
Barnet UNISON met with the CEO of the Barnet Group, a Local Authority Trading Company which is fully owned by Barnet Council, on Wednesday the 27th of July to try and reach an agreement.
The Barnet Group although seeing the merits of paying a worker who sustained an injury at work while working for the Barnet Group, has refused to do so.
Barnet UNISON’s and the workers we represent response to this stance is simple:
NO ONE who is injured while at work should be left without sick pay from their employer.
Barnet UNISON will now move to requesting a ballot for industrial action from London Region – and will be requesting all out continuous strike action.
Barnet UNISON sincerely hope that this will not be necessary and that Barnet Homes, The Barnet Group and Barnet Council will see sense and pay a worker who was injured while working for them.
End.
Note to Editors: Contact details: Barnet UNISON on or 020 8359 2088 or email: Helen.Davies@barnetunison.org.uk
Background:
Barnet Council Repairs Operatives 100% turnout and 100% vote for strike action.
Barnet Council’s Company Refuse to Show Compassion for Injured Worker https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2022/07/13/barnet-councils-company-refuse-to-show-compassion-for-injured-worker/