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Breaking News: ISS will be pay full pay to their Barnet Catering staff if off sick with Coronavirus

Austerity, Local, News, UNISON Campaign

At a union meeting last week ISS issued a statement in relation to sickness absence and Coronavirus.

Barnet UNISON who had raised the issued with Barnet Council a few weeks ago welcomes the news that ISS the contractor which provides catering services in Barnet Schools will pay full pay if any worker has to self-isolate or are displaying symptoms of the Coronavirus.

“This is sensible pragmatic news and provides some confidence that the Council and ISS recognise the need to ensure the spread of the virus is limited. ISS do not pay company sick pay. There was a real risk that staff would come into work even if they had symptoms, simply because they can’t afford to lose money. The same must be applied to the Corporate Cleaning contractor who provide services in Council office and schools.” John Burgess, Branch Secretary, Barnet UNISON

Barnet UNISON submission to Barnet Council about #Coronavirus

Austerity, H&S, Health and Safety, Local, National, News, Report, Schools, UNISON Campaign
Dear Barnet UNISON members
The follow proposals have been submitted to Barnet Council today.
The following applies to all Barnet Council workers (Barnet Council workers includes all staff working in Barnet Community Schools.) during the period of the current #Coronavirus Pandemic.
• All sickness absence monitoring to cease.
• Full sick pay to be paid to all staff regardless of length of service or where their entitlement has reduced or expired.
• No reduction in pay for staff who are self-isolating or caring for someone who is at risk.
• No reduction in pay for any worker having to take time away to look after their children.
• No redundancy consultations.
• All restructures to go on hold.
• Disciplinaries where no risk to life and limb or others to be postponed.
• All other grievances/disciplinaries/capabilities/and Appeals to only go ahead on a case by case basis in agreement with the trade unions.
• For those workers who would be considered to be vulnerable to Coronavirus e.g. workers over 60 and those with underlying health conditions are to be allowed to self-isolate and/or work from home if they so wish.
• Barnet Council to seek information from their workforce as to what skills, expertise they can volunteer in order to assist the Council to be able to redirect resources to socially useful activities and offer training.
• Any worker volunteering to work at a higher grade will be paid at that rate.
• No worker will suffer a financial detriment from volunteering.
• Communication to go out on a daily basis giving clear guidance about what the Council is doing across all services. This communication should go out in a number of formats e.g. Email, flyers, Council website (not just intranet). This communication will be done in such a way as to demonstrate we understand the workforce will be the ones passing on information about the Council’s response and can play a useful role in carrying out and reinforcing these messages.
• Business continuity meetings to include representatives from the trade unions.
• Urgent reviews/risk assessments to be carried out with the involvement and collaboration of all staff to determine what work must be done and what can be done differently or postponed in order to reduce unneccesary contact with public e.g. telephone assessments instead of face to face meetings.
• Provision of counselling services for all staff to be promoted in all future communication in order to look after the mental wellbeing of the workforce
• To ensure adequate supplies for handwashing is provided for mobile workers.
• End hot desking.
• Where possible allow workers to vary working hours to reduce risk of infection on congested public transport.
• Bring the outsourced cleaning services back in-house.
Contractors
Barnet Council to seek confirmation from all contractors whose staff work alongside Barnet Council workers that they are also providing full pay for their staff who are off sick or self-isolating or needing to look after children.
Agency
Barnet Council to seek confirmation from all agency organisations supplying staff to work alongside Barnet Council workers that they are also providing full pay for their staff who are off sick or self-isolating or needing to look after children.

Corona Virus: Barnet UNISON update

Austerity, Health and Safety, Local, National, News, Uncategorised, UNISON Campaign

Dear Members

As the Corona (Corvid-19) virus has spread it has become the main issue of concern in our workplaces.

The main responsibility for dealing with the virus lies with the UK Government and national and regional agencies. But Barnet UNISON believes, along with the rest of the Trade Union movement, that unions and employers, working together, can make a significant difference to ensure that the effects of the outbreak are minimised.

Over the last few weeks Barnet UNISON have been trying to engage with Barnet Council about the Corona Virus. We want to work with the Council in a cooperative way to inform and protect our members, other colleagues and the public, so that measures taken in response to the virus are appropriate, sufficient, and fairly applied.  We also believe that working this way will help prevent irresponsible behaviour and panic.

UNISON members have raised their concerns with us on obtaining information on the level of risk, the lack of precautionary measure such as sanitisers at some work sites, and the repercussions of not being at work because of illness, self-isolation or other result of the outbreak.

The Council have been relaying information from the Government, the NHS and Public Health England on the intranet or through work emails, but not all Barnet workers have easy access to these, and are missing important communications. Further guidance specific to our workplaces is also needed.

The Council have tried to supply sanitisers and wipes, but they have informed that we problems with supply of these items have proved a major obstacle.  At a service and local level some mangers and staff have been procuring items for the protection of colleagues, but UNISON hold that these should have been planned for and provided at the Council Corporate level before now.

In response to our members concerns we have raised a number of issues with the Council. These include

  • Guidance and information
  • Provision of protectionary items and procedures
  • Risk Assessments
  • Specific arrangements for colleagues at greater risk from the virus such as those over 65 or those with underlying health problems.
  • Procedures for Council buildings open to the public
  • Actions to take at worksites if people with confirmed cases of the virus have visited or worked there.
  • Procedures for Home visits to service users
  • Sick Leave
  • Working from home
  • Absence reporting
  • Service cover for high levels of absence
  • School closures and child care responsibilities
  • Appraisal targets and deadlines

At the time of writing we still await a full response from the Council and but have been informed that the issues will be discussed at meeting next week.  Barnet UNISON welcome this but such discussion and information should have already   been provided.  But we hope that this signals the Council’s willingness to truly engage with UNISON and the other trade unions in protecting the health of our colleagues and the public.

In the meantime please use the following links to get further information on the Corona Virus.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance

If you have concerns or questions please contact your local UNISON reps, or the Branch at

contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

 

The Corona virus requires a collective response.  Acting together to protect ourselves is the cornerstone of trade unionism. Working together and looking out for our colleagues, friends, family, service users and the wider community will be a major factor in reducing the damage caused by the virus.  Selfish individualist actions, such as panic buying, profiteering on in-demand items or stealing sanitisers from work places threaten all of us, including those committing these acts.

 

Stay safe, stay healthy.

 

In Solidarity

Hugh Jordan

Branch Health & Safety Officer/Libraries Convenor

Barnet Unison

 

Tel: 0208 359 2088

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/

 

Barnet UNISON begins work to seek backdating Pay and Pension for members working in Barnet Council schools.

Austerity, Local, National, News, Schools, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

Earlier this year Barnet UNISON submitted 52 collective grievances on behalf of our members working in 52 Barnet Schools.

What is this about?

It is about the calculation used to ensure that part-time workers are not being discriminated in relation to their pay.

UNISON believes that this contract term is unfair and inherently discriminatory. We believe that this contract term results term time only workers receiving less than their pro-rata leave entitlement compared to their full time equivalent (FTE) colleagues.

UNISON believes that this contract treats part time workers less favourably than full time staff and is therefore discriminatory. We also believe that the approach is potentially discriminatory on sex grounds as the workers affected are overwhelmingly female.

UNISON is seeking a recalculation of the pay and leave of these staff and a payment of back pay of any historical underpayment from their date of appointment.

We would also seek a recalculation of any pension entitlement under the LGPS resulting from any underpayment or understatement of pensionable service.

What are we doing now?

We are now busy arranging meetings in these schools to explain the reason for the claim for backdated pay and a payment for underpayment of their Pension. Only one of the Schools is a Barnet Schools the rest are Academies/Foundation Schools.

We are beginning to lodge our legal claim against the Schools in order to protect our members claims.

What about Barnet Council Schools?

As news spreads about our campaign, our members working in Barnet Council Schools are asking about their claims.

Our members were never informed by Barnet Council that they were being paid incorrectly and that they had a claim for back pay and a payment towards the underpayment of their Pension. Our members are angry to hear they have not been paid correctly and are demanding that Barnet Council pay up.

Today, Barnet UNISON has written to Barnet Council seeking a meeting to discuss our claim on behalf of our members. We are calling on Barnet Council to do the right thing and reach a collective agreement which will address the backdating and the underpayment of the Pension.

This is a massive issue for our members and we are continuing to keep all of our members briefed as to their rights at work.

If you are on a Term Time Pay contract and worried if you are being correctly paid please contact the branch on 0208 359 2088 or email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

More to follow…….

End.

 

Barnet Libraries Review : Barnet UNISON

Austerity, Health and Safety, Local, National, News, UNISON Campaign

British Library, Kings Cross.
March to protest about cuts to libraries, museums and the arts.
Barnet Unison were on the march along with striking Barnet library staff.
05/11/16 BP
AMS

Barnet Council have commissioned “an independent evaluation of recent changes to the library service and to make some recommendations for the future.” (https://www.barnet.gov.uk/libraries-0)

The Company undertaking the review have asked Barnet UNISON and a sample of Library staff for their views.  We welcome this engagement with Library workers.

We hope that the review will be fair and evidence based, and that the Council have made the necessary information and evidence available to the reviewing organisation.  This must include comparable statistics on the use of libraries in staffed and unstaffed hours and include the four Libraries outsourced in 2017.

The findings of the review should be published in March and Barnet UNISON will make a full response at that time.

End.

BREAKING NEWS: UNISON begins the process of registering legal claims for its term-time members against a Barnet School.

Uncategorised

UNISON has made the first step of lodging legal claims on behalf of its members working for Barnet School by registering the claim with ACAS. This is the first step that must be taken before a claim is formally lodged with the Employment Tribunal.

The decision to lodge the claims came after months of local talks had failed to deliver a settlement which UNISON could recommend to our members.

UNISON remains open to a local resolution.

The School has for many years knowingly used a Term Time Pay formula (originally used by Barnet Council until 2017) that has undervalued and underpaid annual leave entitlement and pay for its term-time only staff.

Local UNISON reps in the School have carried out an inspirational role in recruiting and organising the members in the school to challenge this injustice.

Furthermore UNISON discovered that there has been widespread underpayment of term-time staff in at least 51 Barnet Schools. We are determined to ensure that every one of our members in those schools are paid correctly going forward and is awarded compensation for the years of underpayment.

For those members in the Local Government Pension Scheme UNISON is also seeking a recalculation of any pension entitlement under the LGPS resulting from any underpayment or understatement of pensionable service.

On Wednesday 15th January 2020 UNISON lodged collective grievances against 51 Barnet Schools to ensure we protect claims on behalf of all of our members working in those schools.

Barnet UNISON will be organising meetings in all of the schools to explain what is happening and what members need to do next.

 

End.

 

 

 

Poverty Pay For Barnet Care Workers set to continue…………

Austerity, Barnet Group, Barnet Homes, Local, News, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

Monday 6th January 2020 should have brought good news for ex Fremantle care workers now employed by The Barnet Group (TBG).

Barnet UNISON had expected to hear that care workers would be moved onto the London Living Wage at Policy and Resources Committee on Monday 6th January 2020

https://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=692&MId=10084

Instead the decision was kicked into the long grass.

This decision has ensured care workers remain on poverty pay.

TUPE information from Fremantle in May/ June 2019 revealed that just under 300 staff were TUPE transferred.

Of these, according to the figures given for the job titles and the rates of pay quoted for those job titles, some two thirds were listed as being paid below the London Living Wage.

Care work is a physically demanding role as well as an emotionally demanding role.

There are at least 201 Care workers on poverty pay

Yet according to the TUPE transfer information

161 members of staff are aged 55 years and over.

40 are aged 66 years and over.

Notes for Editors:

TBG is 100% owned by Barnet Council.

Barnet Council does not employ any staff paid less than the London Living Wage.

Barnet UNISON report Policy and Resources Committee 6th January 2020.

Barnet Group, Barnet Homes, Care & Support, Local, Your Choice Barnet

Barnet UNISON report

Policy and Resources Committee

 6th January 2020.

 

SUMMARY

With respect to the decision made at the last P&R Committee, Council officers have, at best, not complied with the request and at worst have misled the Committee.

RECOMMENDATION

The Officers are required to investigate the actual costs associated with implementing the London Living Wage for the ex-Fremantle workers.

BACKGROUND

Over the past decade one thing Barnet UNISON is in agreement with Barnet Council is that the London Living Wage is the lowest rate of pay for its staff and those working on outsourced contracts.

Within the Barnet Group the minimum rate of pay for staff in Barnet Homes, TBG Flex (The Barnet Group Flex) and Your Choice Barnet is the London Living Wage – including posts which become vacant within the ex-Fremantle homes.

After a settling in period for the TUPE Fremantle staff Barnet UNISON raised in discussions with the employer the issue of paying these staff the London Living Wage as the lowest level of pay. We believe these staff should be treated no differently to other staff working for Barnet Council or on its outsourced contracts.

Barnet UNISON notes the decision regarding a discussion about implementing the London Living Wage for Fremantle TUPE transferred staff to Your Choice Barnet at the Policy and Resources Committee 3rd October 2019 is recorded in the draft minutes as:

“Following discussion on the London Living Wage for Fremantle staff who had been TUPE transferred to Your Choice Barnet the Chairman agreed to an item on the feasibility being brought back to the next Committee. This would be included in the Business Planning report”

In response to this request from Councillors the Business Planning Report dedicates a mere 2 paragraphs which is listed under “Risks to the MTFS”

  • Fremantle Care workers (London Living Wage): Former Fremantle staff were TUPE transferred to YCB in July 2018 under the agreement that terms and conditions would be protected for 1 year.  Some former Fremantle care workers that have been transferred to the Barnet Group may be being paid less than the London Living Wage (£10.75 per hour (as at Nov 2019)). The Barnet Group policy is to pay all its workers at least the London Living Wage, subject to affordability, and a HR process is now required to review any changes to terms and conditions which will need to be considered.

 

Any decision about changes to terms and conditions will need to be considered in the context of the overall pay and reward strategy for the Barnet Group, employment policies and legislation, the wider social care market and the council’s procurement rules.   It is not yet possible to quantify the level of risk associated as it is too early to form a conclusion about the application of the LLW to TUPE staff. However, officers in the Barnet Group supported by council colleagues where necessary will be working on this over the coming months and can provide further update to the committee in the future.

These two paragraphs responding to the Committee’s request in no way reflects the response Barnet UNISON or the care workers were expecting. We had expected a detailed report detailing the cost implications for implementing the London Living Wage. Instead this response kicks the question into the long grass.

This is absurd as all new vacancies in the ex-Fremantle homes are advertised as paying the London Living Wage as a minimum. These posts are open to existing Fremantle staff to apply for those posts. This means that incrementally at least some of these staff working in these homes will be all be employed on the London Living Wage. This fact is not even listed in the 2 paragraphs written by the officers. This means this risk is already a reality and yet it is not mentioned or evaluated. No turnover rates are mentioned. Is it ironic that a credible option for the ex-Fremantle staff to en masse resign from their posts and then to reapply for posts in the new homes which would have to be offered at the London Living Wage?

The report in no way reflects the request made of the Committee to the officers. A “feasibility” was requested not the “risks”. Furthermore the Councillors are asked to believe that the officers are incapable of quantifying the “level of risk” associated with “the application of the LLW to TUPE staff.”

Barnet UNISON can be of assistance to the officers and councillors in understanding some of the implications by revealing the inaccuracy of the sentence: “Some former Fremantle care workers […] may be being paid less than the London Living Wage”. (Our italics)

TUPE information from Fremantle in May/ June 2019 revealed that just under 300 staff were TUPE transferred. Of these, according to the figures given for the job titles and the rates of pay quoted for those job titles, some two thirds were listed as being paid below the London Living Wage. In total these were 222 staff. The largest group are the care workers which total some 143 workers and are nearly half of the ex-Fremantle workforce.

Care work is a physically demanding role as well as an emotionally demanding role. Yet according to the TUPE transfer information 161 members of staff are aged 55 years and over and of these 40 are aged 66 years and over. By contrast the numbers of staff aged under 40 years are 76.

 

RISK

There is a risk in not paying the London Living Wage as this report demonstrates:

https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/adult-social-care-workforce-data/Workforce-intelligence/documents/State-of-the-adult-social-care-sector/State-of-Report-2019.pdf

In the Care industry there is a national turnover rate of 38% for those working less than one year in the field (p.13). It shows that those who are paid more are less likely to leave their roles.

“Turnover at regulated services that were rated overall as either ‘outstanding’ or ‘good’, turnover was found to be lower (29.5%) than those rated as ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ (32.2%). This trend remained consistent across each Key Line of Enquiry (KLOE) with an average difference of 2.7%. The largest difference in turnover was shown for the ‘Safe’ KLOE which had 3.4% lower turnover at providers rated positively.” (p.118)

Continuity is an important factor in delivering quality care and support to our most vulnerable residents. There are associated costs in constantly recruiting and inducting new members of staff. These can result in reputational and safeguarding costs.

Barnet UNISON strives to work with both the Council and quasi outsourced employers, such as the Barnet Group, in continuing to promote harmonious industrial relations and to provide a high level of service for our customers. This may, potentially, be put in jeopardy if the decision is not to value monetarily the important role that care workers perform.

These factors should be of importance to this Committee and to Councillors in general and should be taken more seriously than the response to the request from Council officer’s shows.

 

Big shout out for UNISON for supporting Term Time Paid members in Barnet

Austerity, Local, National, News, Pensions, UNISON Campaign

“Since we were first alerted to the problem of underpayments for some of our lowest paid members I have been impressed by the support and advice from UNISON colleagues in UNISON HQ.

What started with one academy is now impacting on over 50 Barnet schools and also a number of private contractors such as ISS, Capita and Cambridge Education.

Over the next few months we have a massive task to reach all of our members in order that our Legal Team can submit claims on their behalf.

We are campaigning for each school to:

  • Adopt Barnet Council Term Time Pay calculator
  • Back dating of pay lost through the underpayment of their wages.
  • Payment towards any loss to our members Pensions due to underpayment of their wages.

(John Burgess, Branch Secretary, Barnet UNISON.)

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