Barnet UNISON

“I found myself just crying, you don’t realise how down you’ve been feeling, then it hits you. I just want to leave”

These are the words of a worker who has been outsourced and has an “at risk” letter and has found out that her new employer has recruited externally to posts which were a match for her post. What kind of an employer would keep people dangling with “at risk” letters and recruit to posts leaving them still at risk? A private sector employer? No, Your Choice Barnet!

The original proposals saw a reduction of 13 equivalent Support Worker posts. We have calculated 14 have left the service voluntarily and yet we still have a number of Support Workers with “at risk” letters hanging over them. Meanwhile vacancies are being filled with agency staff!

UNISON is trying to get some stability in the workforce as we believe this benefits our members and the service users who are dependent on establishing trusting relationships with the people who are supporting them. We are advocating for as many of the Zero Hour Contracts Your Choice Barnet operates as possible to be turned into permanent contracts.

 

Contrary to what senior have officers have produced in a report to councillors on the General Functions Committee (GFC) here, there is a serious problem with the TUPE consultation. This has been the most complex TUPE so far and as such UNISON has responded to this report in a letter to all councillors on GFC. To view the report the many questions on joint employment contracts here.

To view UNISON DRS update click here

Yesterday a group of residents organised a funeral march, they made several stops across the borough and gave the following eulogy.

“We are gathered here today to bid farewell to Barnet Public Services.

It is sad, of course, to lose a single service, but to lose the majority of this family is truly tragic. Perhaps you did not know all of them, but all of us were acquainted with some of them. They were there to serve us and they provided jobs for some of us. The purpose of these services – like the motivation of those who provided them – was purely to do the job well. They were not perfect, any more than any of us are, but these services were answerable to US, the public. We could reach them directly and press our case when necessary. There were personal connections and there was continuity. They were part of our community.

They were ours, we valued them and we fought hard to save them. They would have lived but for the key to their survival – the date of the decision of their execution – being hidden from view and the executioners’ misleading statements about it when asked.

Now those services as we knew them are gone.

The public – is private,

the motivation and purpose are profit – not service,

and our community rightly grieves.

As we mourn our loss, we extend our sympathies to those who have the added hardship of being forced to move or who have lost their job. As we watch our public services being buried far from their home, we worry how call-centre workers with no connection to, knowledge of, or interest in us and our community will respond to our needs.

We worry especially about what will happen to us and to our loved ones as the first priority of even more vital services – becomes profit, for we have seen how this has harmed some and endangers more people in the privatised care regimes under Fremantle and Your Choice Barnet. Fighting for the right to be consulted about the care of those we hold dear, we are told by such organisations that they don’t have to listen to us, because they are private companies. So how will we ensure that our environment, our buildings, the goods sold in our shops, our highways, our estates and our personal data are safe in the hands of Capita, an enormous organization with a far-from-perfect record of delivering on its promises in the public service sector?

By their actions, the executioners – and you know who they are ­– have dealt a body blow to local democracy. And although we have lost the initial battle, there is much to fight for.

As we bid farewell to public services, let us rededicate ourselves to that fight and to restoring that democracy: To holding the council and Capita to account for every drop in standards, every failure to deliver services, and every penny not accounted for.

Do NOT rest in peace, Capita and Barnet Council:

 

WE ARE WATCHING YOU!”

Yesterday Capita Group issued the updated Final Measures letter detailed the latest proposed changes for Council services.

Full consultation will commence sometime after transfer of Council Services on Sunday 1 September.

You can view the Measures letter here

“Why are the government attacking the workers and their union?

In the last month there has been a concerted negative campaign to target workers and their trade unions. By that I refer to the stories in the press questioning the role of the trade unions and the link to the Labour Party. The Coalition Government attacks are directed on funding of the Labour Party and now it seems future funding of political parties may now be funded by the tax payer?

What is of interest are the private donations by multinationals who are clearly wanting something in return.

It was interesting to read that over £100 billion of public sector contracts have already been handed to the big private sector contractors such as G4S, IBM. Serco, Balfour Beatty, BT, and Capita

It is not until you read the list of MPs with financial interests and links to the NHS see here that you can see whay the NHS is already under threat of mass privatisation

Where are attacks?

1. Employment Tribunals

Earlier this week news broke that workers would have to pay if they wanted to take their employer to an employment tribunal.

Workers can expect to pay between £160 to £250 simply to make a claim and a further hearing fee starting at £230 to £950.

This is clearly designed to stop access to justice for workers who have been unfairly dismissed or discriminated against.

However if a worker belongs to a Trade Union this fee will be covered case if UNISON takes up the case for the member

The Good News is that UNISON has won the right to have a JR hearing over tribunal fees read here

2. Attack on Trade Unions and their members

I refer of course to the “Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill 2013-14”

The above Bill is a direct attack on Trade Unions and our members working across the public and private sectors. It ignores the growing public concern that rich and powerful individuals and corporations hold over policy making and politicians

3. Privatised workers lose rights to National Pay Awards.

When workers have previously been transferred to the private sector, the link to future the national Pay Awards has been quashed in the European courts see here

4. Attacking collection of Trade Union subscriptions

This dispute concerns the collection of trade union subscriptions by the employer on behalf of the trade union. This is a practice all good employers carry out for a fee paid by the trade union. Reading this report it seems that this petty attack has all the trademarks of anti trade union ideology.

 

Austerity launches another vicious attack on low paid female workers in Barnet Council

On Friday 2 August Barnet Council issued a Press Release (here) about the Judicial Review of the One Barnet Programme. Here is an extract

Councillor Richard Cornelius, Leader of the Council, said: “I’m delighted with the judges’ decision.

“We can all now get on with making the huge savings in our back office costs which we need to do if we are to continue protecting our frontline services.

On the same day the above statement was released I sat in a consultation with coach escorts who provide a Frontline service for children with special education needs (SEN).

As I listened to the presentation, I became increasing agitated and angry (as did the staff) at what is the most outrageous attack on low paid undervalued female workers.

In the meeting it was accepted by the Council that most of the staff only earn £8,891.67 a year and work only 20 hours a week, although many of them would like to work more.

It was heart breaking to hear escort after escort describing how seriously this would impact on them and their families if they are forced to take the proposed 33% cut in pay.

That’s right after speaking to escorts after the meeting and using the figures provided by the Council most of them will see their earnings drop from £8,891.67 to £5,845.84 a year.

Many disclosed that they were already on pension credits or other benefits and were worried that these proposals may result in them losing benefits; others were worried about not having enough to pay the rent and losing their homes.

This is an unacceptable cut to a largely low paid female workforce most of whom have loyal long service with the London Borough of Barnet. The scale of the hardship this will cause on this workforce if this proposal is implemented is the worst I have seen in all my time as a trade union official.

After the meeting coach escorts explained the day to day experiences of their job, it was frightening and shocking; anyone listening to their account would have to agree the Council is not paying them enough for what they do.

It is fair to say staff were both upset and incensed about this attack on their livelihoods and have asked for a meeting with the Director of People and made an offer for the Director to accompany some of the escorts on duty.

Further meetings are being arranged with our members who are fired up and feel they have no alternative but to campaign against this unacceptable assault on their terms and conditions.

UNISON has requested a copy of the Equality Impact Assessment for the staff and the Service and sought clarification as to whether parents and schools have been consulted.

UNISON is also demanding that this proposal is abandoned in light of the comments from the Leader that the One Barnet outsourcing will be delivering savings in order to protect frontline services. You are not going to get a more frontline service than this service. We wait to hear if the alleged One Barnet savings really will be used for the Coach Escort frontline service.

In the meantime please send messages of support to Barnet Council Coach Escort Campaign to contactus@barnetunison.org.uk