Barnet UNISON

On Saturday 9 May almost 500 people joined the four libraries march across Barnet.

Children’s Author Alan Gibbons started the march off from South Friern Library with a rousing speech.

As the march weaved in and out of the streets marching to the beat of a big bass drum it was amazing to hear the fantastic reaction from the public.

At East Finchley Library we were entertained by an improvised children’s choir who sang their version of the “wheels on the bus go round and round” as a tribute to the mobile library service.

Then we were off to Church End Library where we were met by London Metropolitan Brass band and a Red Double Decker bus donated by the NUT and driven by their branch secretary.

After a brief break to visit the library we then marched off with the Brass band all the way to North Finchley Library.

Everyone was delighted to have taken part in such a positive event and gave a commitment to be ready for the next stage of the campaign.

The final leg of our Grand Tour of Barnet Libraries sets off this Saturday 9 May at 11 am outside South Friern Library

The Full Monty means marching from South Friern Library to East Finchley Library then onto Church End Library and finishing at North Finchley Library.

You can view the Full Monty Route here

The Last Leg is the march from Church End Library to North Finchley Library.

The march from Church End Library begins at 1 pm.

London Metropolitan Brass Band join the march at Church End Library along with an open top red double decker bus.

We have a number of authors speaking on the Tour.

Bring your friends and family banners and most importantly bring a book!

So your choice do you want to tackle the Full Monty starting at 11 am or the Last Leg starting at 1 pm?  

A number of tables have been booked at the Bohemia Pub in North Finchley for those in need of refreshments.

SOLIDARITY!

I want to pay tribute to our members who under extreme duress made the brave decision to back their union and their future by taking strike action today.

I have had very positive feedback from our members who took part on the picket lines which was good natured and fun.

Today we launched Barnet VOICE which you can read online here

We have had widespread coverage of the strike across the UK.

May Day demonstration

On Friday 1 May we are calling on our members to leave the picket lines early tomorrow and head into central London Clerkenwell Green EC1R 0DU, for 11.30 am which is just opposite the Marx Memorial Library.

 

We are marching to Trafalgar Square. 

View here

Dear Colleagues

Many thanks for the hundreds of you who have contacted the branch about the content of the First Team email sent to all staff on 29 April 2015 at 11:44am.

I can confirm that the concerns raised by the Council in this email are being addressed by our UNISON legal team.

In the meantime I want to take this opportunity to advise all of our members excluding members working at the following children’s centres

· Coppetts wood

· Underhill

· Bell lane

· Barnfield

· Hampden Way

· Childs hill

· Fairway

· St Margaret’s

We are still on strike on Thursday 30 April & Friday 1 May. 

 

The picket lines are as previous advertised:

1. North London Business Park—Start 7 am onwards.

Picket Line Coordinator Helen Davies 07432733168

2. Mill Hill Depot—Starts 6 am onwards.

Picket Line Coordinator: John Burgess 07738389569

3. Chipping Barnet Library—Start 9 am onwards.

Picket Line Coordinator: Liz McKeon 07927683232

4. North Finchley Library—Start 8:45 am onwards.

Picket Line Coordinator: Cathy Yilmaz 07729723967

To view here

View Video here

View flyer here

To view flyer click here

Barnet UNISON members who still work for Barnet Council (excluding schools staff) will be taking strike action (view flyer here) on the following days:

Thursday 30 April & Friday 1 May 2015

Please note the following Picket line information

1. North London Business Park—Start 7 am onwards.

Picket Line Coordinator Helen Davies 07432733168

2. Mill Hill Depot—Starts 6 am onwards.

Picket Line Coordinator: John Burgess 07738389569

3. Chipping Barnet Library—Start 9 am onwards.

Picket Line Coordinator: Liz McKeon 07927683232

4. North Finchley Library—Start 8:45 am onwards.

Picket Line Coordinator: Cathy Yilmaz 07729723967

 

 

Barnet UNISON Press Release: 23 April 2015 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Barnet UNISON confirm two day strike begins next week 30 April and 1 May 2015.

Barnet UNISON members who still work for Barnet Council (excluding community schools) will begin two days of strike action on Thursday 30 April and Friday 1 May.

The dispute will involves coach escorts, drivers, social workers, occupational therapists, lschools catering staff, education welfare officers, library workers, children centre workers, street cleaning & refuse workers, all of whom have made it clear they want to remain employees of the Commissioning Council.

UNISON Branch Secretary John Burgess said: The Council are about to start confidential negotiations with Capita, Cambridge Education and EC Harris which are bidding to win a contract valued at almost £1bn.  Whist we are still waiting for the Council to return to the negotiating table time is marching on. Our members want to work for the Council, they want to be directly accountable to the residents of Barnet. Our members don’t want to work for an employer which will have to place the shareholders’ legal demands before local residents’ needs. Our members don’t want to work for an employer which  uses zero hours contracts. Our members don’t want to work for an employer which will not pay the London Living Wage as a basic minimum. Our members don’t want to work for an employer which won’t allow their colleagues to belong to their Pension Scheme, and our members don’t want to work for an employer which will take jobs out of the borough. That’s why 87% of our members working for the Council voted ‘Yes’ to taking strike action. One of our members has written and produced a music campaign video called “The easyCouncil Loco-motion” which pretty much sums up the mood of our members take a look here https://youtu.be/Wi0bdgofsmM

Notes to Editors.

Contact details: John Burgess Barnet UNISON on 07738389569 or 0208 359 2088 or email: john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk

Background:

1. Six years ago Barnet Council introduced a policy known as Future Shape which morphed into ‘easyCouncil’*.This imposed a series of tariffs on residents wishing to access a range of services. A basic service would be offered to residents at a fixed price, but ‘fast track’ services might be available if you paid extra.

This approach was quickly abandoned by the consultant driven One Barnet Programme, which led to the following Council Services being outsourced/privatised in the space of three years:

1. Social Care for Adults with disabilities to Your Choice Barnet

2. Housing Options to Barnet Homes

3. Parking Services to NSL

4. Revenues & Benefits, IT, HR & Payroll, Pensions, Health & Safety, Finance, Estates, Property Services, Procurement, Projects all now part of Capita CSG

5. Environmental Health, Planning, Building Control, Hendon Cemetery & Crematorium, Highways, Trading Standards & Licensing all now Capita RE

6. Legal Services

7. Registrars & Nationality Services

8. CCTV

9. Music Trust

10. Public Health

11. Mortuary Services.

Over the past three years our members have seen hundreds of colleagues transferred to other employers. This has often meant redundancy as the new employer has moved jobs out of the borough and Greater London to places as far afield as Belfast, Carlisle, Coventry, Southampton and Darlington.

Barnet has branded this final phase as the ‘Commissioning Council’.

On 3 March 2015 Barnet Council agreed its next Five Commissioning Plans all of which are looking at ‘Alternative Delivery Models’, jargon for working for a different employer.

The Council Services now at risk of outsourcing are:

1. Early Years – 13 Children’s Centres

2. Library Services

3. Adults & Communities services

4. Street Scene Services e.g. Waste & Recycling, Street Cleansing, Parks and Transport

5. Education & Skills and School Meals services.

 

2. Disappearing Council – short animation https://youtu.be/YQ5t63fSu-s

 

3. “The easyCouncil Loco-motion” https://youtu.be/Wi0bdgofsmM