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Last Tuesday at a full Council Meeting it was voted by a majority of one to go ahead with the Libraries Strategy. Three options are to be offered for the future of libraries, but no matter which one is chosen the following results will apply.

Well before  2020  Barnet Libraries will have been replaced  by  a  number  of  libraries in the borough either run for profit by a private enterprise, or  by a mutual struggling to survive, or by community groups with insufficient resources.

Up to two in three library jobs will have gone. They will be replaced by volunteers and machines.

Most surviving libraries will   be smaller, being only 540 square feet in area. Book and audio-visual stock will be reduced, cutting choice. There will be less computers for the public to use and less study space available.

Libraries will be unsafe. For most of its’ opening times a library will not have any staff (or even volunteers) on site. Access will be gained through a swipe card. Unsocial behaviour and theft are not   unknown in libraries today despite staff being on site. The Council will replace on site staffing at these times by CCTV, and “remote voice or video information”.

These changes   will result in disaster for the service, and will discourage use by the public, increasing the likelihood of more closures in the years to come.

UNISON oppose the Library Strategy and call for its replacement with a plan for  that will benefit all those who have a stake a real Library Service.

Join your union in resisting the Council’s attack on libraries and library workers implicit in the Library Strategy.

On Monday 8 September 2014 UNISON members working for Capita Re Highways section were informed that statutory redundancy consultation would commence on 10 September 2014. Capita Re have carried out a review of the Highways function against the output specification that forms part of the contract with the London borough of Barnet.

The proposal was that they can make efficiencies by changing work practices and use of technology alongside the need to reduce costs circa £65k with a reduction in the Highways fee by Barnet Council as from July 2014.

Capita Re currently employs 284 staff.

The current staffing establishment for Highways is 23 staff and all of them have been issued at risk of redundancy letters.

The proposal seeks to make 10 redundancies and create six new posts. However, the six new posts are not redeployment opportunities for the staff at risk.

Over the past few weeks meetings have been taking place with staff as they are having to go through an interview selection process.

UNISON has requested some detailed financial information about the proposed shortfall in funding and expressed concern about the ability of the service to deliver the service with reduced numbers of staff.

UNISON members have expressed concern and disappointment that when Barnet Council Cabinet Committee agreed to the award the DRS contract to Capita on Monday 24 June 2013 they did so in the knowledge that this was a contract which would grow and there would not be any redundancies.

As members have pointed out in Table 7.1 DRS Staff Numbers

of the report the Highways Teams are down to increase not decrease.

Update

Last week the Trade Unions were informed that Capita Re would be extending the consultation period. The reason being Capita Re had been summoned to attend the Environment Committee members briefing on 2 October at 7 pm Hendon Town Hall.

UNISON will be attending the above meeting in order to find out if there are any proposals which may mean the redundancy proposals will be withdrawn.

Breaking News in-house services back in contention

Dear Colleagues

Last night I attended the Children’s, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee. This committee was being asked to recommend reject the in house service option and develop three outsourcing options.

Barnet UNISON presented a report (see attachment) to all of the councillors on this Committee for them to consider. In case I was asked to comment on our report I prepared a speech (see attached) to the Committee.

Our report made the following recommendations:

Recommendations

1. Barnet UNISON recommends a fully resourced innovative in-house option be included alongside further development of the schools-led social enterprise option. The two joint venture options should be rejected together with the outsourcing and LATC options.

2. School catering is a highly successful income generating service serving 90% of schools in Barnet, in which all surpluses directly benefits schools. It should be excluded from the scope of the project.

3. If the Committee recommends continuing the JVC options, then Capita should be approached and asked not to bid for the education and skills contract.

4. Before the Committee make any decisions the Performance and quality category weighting should be increased from 20% to 40% with a 10% reduction in the category weightings for Strategic Direction and Cost Saving.

Who were the contractors mentioned in the Council report?

In the Council report there is reference to discussions with the private sector some of whom suggested adding Early Years and Libraries in this bundle of services. In the meeting we were informed of the names of these contractors

Babcock

Carillion

Capita

What happened next was a surprise.

As the item opened up for discussion Labour Councillors proposed that the in-house option be included with the other outsourcing options.

The Deputy Leader of the Council disagreed with the wording of the Labour motion and proposed an amendment of recommendation 3 of the council report which added and the in-house service.

This amendment was put to the vote and all councillors voted in favour of in-house.

Several of us in the room fell of our chairs as this is the first time councillors have insisted that the in-house be included in a report on outsourcing proposals.

I will be writing formally to the Council seeking urgent talks as to how the in-house service is going to be resourced and supported in putting together a business case to deliver Education & Skills & Catering service in-house.

I will be organising meetings for all of our members between now and the end of the year. Please keep a look out for updates.

Why we must ‘care for’ our care workers and stop the attacks on them

Care workers have been submitted to devastating treatment from Commissioners who wield their power through contracting out services. I say this because when we raise the issue of terms & conditions for our members working for the contractors, the contractors respond by saying it is the ‘Council who are responsible.’

In Barnet we have a dispute known as the Your Choice Care Workers dispute which you can read about here and here.  

But there is a wider issue that goes beyond Barnet Council, Social Care is in crisis but not just about the cost but what it is doing to the quality of service delivery. The key issue commissioning continues to ignore is that without staff there is no service and the race to the bottom will only lead to further scandals and allegations of abuse. Incredibly there are some people who believe that lower wages including zero hours contracts guarantees quality services!

Some members of the public condemn care workers for having the temerity to stand up to the ongoing attacks to their terms and conditions. These ignorant people and I mean ignorant try to argue care work is not an important role and are first to call care workers greedy for not accepting cuts to their pay.

They will condemn the Doncaster Care UK care workers and they will condemn Your Choice Barnet care workers.

BUT where would we be without care workers?

I would argue that the way we treat those who provide care is a measure of what sort of society we aspire to be. Social Care is in a crisis, not just because of funding but I believe because of the way we treat the staff who deliver the care.

How can it be right that care work pays less then working behind a bar or in a supermarket?

We will at some point all rely on a care worker whether it is for ourselves or for someone we love and cherish. The level of trust we place on the care worker is critical to the quality of care required by the person needing support.

Providing care is exhausting work both physically and mentally. It is critically important that those providing care are provided with the best training, support and supervision to ensure the care they provide is of the highest quality.

BUT ‘Commissioning’ has undermined the role of the care worker, it has led to zero hours culture, it has led to the ‘15 minutes’ of care culture where home care workers are forced to provide 15 minutes of care and move on to their next client.

The advocates of the commissioning model will throw up their arms and protest they have brought value for money and greater innovation but the facts are there to see

· ‘Social care commissioners should ditch zero-hours contracts’

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/mar/25/social-care-ditch-zero-hours-contracts

· ‘300,000 people on zero hours contracts in social care alone’

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/300000-people-on-zero-hours-contracts-in-social-care-alone-8688796.html

· ‘Unscrupulous employers exploiting workers through zero-hours contracts’

http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/scottish-affairs-committee/news/report-zero-hours-contracts-/

· ‘Are 1 in 5 social care workers on zero-hours contracts?’

https://fullfact.org/factchecks/social_care_workers_zero_hours_contracts-29039

· ‘Ending the abuse of zero-hours contracts’

 

http://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/TUC%20final%20response%20to%20BIS%20consultation%20on%20zero-hours%20contracts.pdf

Barnet UNISON has spent 3 days in negotiations so far with Your Choice Barnet and we will continue talking. We are hopeful the talks will yield a positive change for our members but at the moment this has not been achieved.

Our members working for Your Choice Barnet delivered a100% vote for strike action and will not be taking strike action lightly but as one colleague said:

“In taking this action we are standing up for ourselves and service users so neither lose out”.

Background:

In February 2012 Barnet Council transferred Learning Disability and Physical and Sensory Impairment services for adults to a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) called Your Choice Barnet (YCB). About 160 staff (145.6 Full Time Equivalents) in Adults services transferred to the LATC.Following a restructure and cuts to pay on shift allowancesthere are now only about 105 FTE working for YCB.

This is a resounding ballot result and vindication of why Barnet UNISON has always said theadditional 9.5% cut was unacceptable both to our members and the future for these critical frontline services. It is not feasible to continually attack low paid workers and expect them to take it without a fight and our members are not prepared to put up with joining a race to the bottom that is now common practice in the social care industry. The business case for this outsourced service was flawed from the outset three years ago and to date we have yet to see any financial figures which demonstrate this service will be able to deliver new business.

Our members are taking a pay cut in order for YCB to repayBarnet Homes a loan borrowed at commercial rates of interest!

Last year Barnet Council brought back the recycling service because they felt they could do a better job, which is why we are asking them to bring this service back in house in order to ensure a safe and secure service for Adults with Disabilities in Barnet.

The last twelve months have seen a sharp increase in the numbers of agency staff and zero hours contracts being used to deliver these services. The attacks on staff haveunderminedmorale and led to an exodus of experienced staff. For many of our members this is a last chance to save the service.

UNISON Branch Secretary John Burgess said:

“Your Choice Barnet say they have no choice as Barnet Council is only prepared to pay a set market rate for the support provided by YCB, but YCB is owned wholly by the Council. Somewhere between the Council and YCB there has to be a solution which doesn’t mean our members and the service users are used as football between the two paying for the problem.”

Notes to Editors.

Contact details: John Burgess Barnet UNISON on07738389569 or 0208 359 2088 or email:john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk

Links

1. Barnet UNISON response to Your Choice Barnet Consultation Paper

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/UNISON%20response%20to%20YOUR%20CHOICE%20BARNET%20March%202014%20FINAL.pdf

2. ‘The way out of financial crisis’ Analysis of Consultation Paper Your Choice Barnet Ltd The Barnet Group Ltd (Local Authority Trading Company), London Borough of Barnet

http://www.socialworkfuture.org/attachments/article/330/CADDSS%20analysis%20.pdf

3. Barnet UNISON Report: The Barnet Group Ltd, Local Authority Trading Company: Privatising Adults and Housing Services London Borough of Barnet

http://www.european-services-strategy.org.uk/news/2012/local-authority-trading-company-latc-for-adult/latc-analysis-2012.pdf

4. Stop the ongoing destruction of services for adults with disabilities in Barnet petition

 

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-ongoing-destruction-of-services-for-adults-with-disabilities-in-barnet