Search Results for: one barnet

Book your Pensions Seminars now – Barnet UNISON

Austerity, Local, News

Barnet UNISON is proud to be able to offer a Pensions Seminar for UNISON members.

The seminar would include the following:

  • Understanding changes to Local Government Pension Scheme
  • Understanding Career Average Benefit – with an example
  • Tips for Good Housekeeping
  • Understanding and Checking Annual Benefit Statement
  • Opportunity for further consultation through 1 to 1 meeting
  • The above areas will answer members’ questions around the effect of Unified Reward on LG Pensions.
  • The seminar and Q & A will normally last up to 90 minutes.

If you would like to take up this offer for your workplace/school please contact the Barnet UNISON office, on 0208 359 2088 or email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

Let us help: Barnet UNISON plea to School Support Staff

Austerity, Local, Uncategorised

You are worth it.

You are entitled to be treated like any other member of staff in your school.

Everyone in a school contributes to a healthy education environment in which children can thrive.

I am making my plea out of frustration.

I have spent the last six months working through outstanding grading appeals and pay issues for Barnet Council workers, but not school staff.

In the last three months I have started on my list of School Support Staff who are in need of support and advice concerning their pay.

The difference in working environments is appalling and unfair. The rest of the Council workforce have been subject to cuts and mass outsourcing, but in relation to their pay and grading the application has been without pressure.

BUT, in schools it is oh so different.

Why must some Schools always refer to budget cuts and letting staff go?

Why do some Schools complain about not being involved when they were?

Why are School Support Staff left to feel that they are wrong to challenge the grade, in most cases they are losing money, and they don’t earn much money anyway.

I have never seen equivalent fear like it in a workplace, grown women and men with huge life experience are sometimes too scared to let the union fight their corner for fear of reprisals.

Barnet UNISON will not be going anywhere and will continue to offer our fullest support for all of our support staff.

If you work in a school and need our help please contact the branch on 0208 359 2088 or email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

 

“Outsourcingitus vaccine discovered” by Barnet UNISON

Austerity, Local, Trades Dispute

“I am so proud of our branch who have effectively been working round the clock for the last 9 years and to finally have discovered the antidote to this vicious and harmful virus will bring hope to others.  I know from bitter personal experience that “outsourcingitus” is very contagious and damaging to the health and wellbeing of members and to the services this virus feeds off. As many know we had a serious outbreak between 2012- 2014 where a large number of staff were affected as were residents. We intensified our efforts and at one point the branch nearly disappeared completely, incredibly we are still here despite all the odds; which I believe is all down to the dedicated and hardworking Unison reps. Finally I must point out that we are still in the early stages of creating a vaccine, but if anyone out there would like to take part in our trials please do not hesitate to contact the branch. Solidarity.” John Burgess, Branch Secretary, Barnet UNISON.

 

Don’t outsource ‘top 2 rated council services’ say Barnet UNISON

News, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

“No 2 Outsourcing”

“Resident Satisfaction – Refuse and recycling remain the top 2 rated council services based on the latest Residents’ Perception Survey data from spring 2016. Recycling is at 73% saying the service is “good/excellent” – this is 6.8% above the London average. Refuse is at 77% saying “good/excellent”, 8.2% above the London average.”

(https://www.barnet.gov.uk/dam/jcr:ec335e0f-35ed-43fc-a6c9-1f30f1c2b844/Streetscene-Performance-Report-Q1-2016-17.pdf)

Those are not the words of Barnet UNISON but data on Barnet Council web site.

The ‘top 2 rated council services’ they say.

On Wednesday 15 March 2017, at 6.30 pm Barnet Council Environment Committee will decide whether to either back their own loyal hard working staff or outsource them to another employer.

Barnet UNISON has been clear from the start that Street Scene services should and must stay in-house.

If the residents rate these services, and the senior officers who produce the data confirming this is true, then how could it be possible to outsource these services?

We won’t know until the report to be considered by Barnet Councillors will be published here five working days before the meeting.

http://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=695&MId=8593&Ver=4

I will be attending this meeting which is open to the public.

 

Barnet UNISON Press Release: Ken Loach comes to Barnet screening of ‘I, Daniel Blake’

Austerity, Community, Solidarity

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Special screening of BAFTA winning ‘I, Daniel Blake’ with a Q & A Ken Loach. 28 February 2017

27 February 2017 

‘Hunger is being used as a weapon,’ says veteran director, calling for public rage over situation he says is worse than when he made Cathy Come Home in 1966” (Ken Loach)

“2.8 MILLION disabled people are in deep poverty (< 50% of median income).” Source: New Policy Institute

“Austerity has been targeted at disabled people nine times more than the general population and severely disabled people have been targeted 19 times more than the general population.” Source: Centre for Welfare Reform

“After the 2016 Budget, the Office for Budget Responsibility found that, ‘the government is on track by 2020-21 to spend the lowest amount on welfare, as a percentage of GDP, in 30 years.’ Source: BBC

“90,000 disabled people will lose their mobility cars under welfare reform.” Source Fullfact.org

Barnet UNISON branch is proud to be able to host this special event which is being supported by the following community campaigns: Barnet Trades Council, Barnet Alliance for Public Services, Housing Action Barnet, Our West Hendon campaign, Barnet Momentum.

“This film is quite rightly being recognised as a urgent wake up call for all of us. Austerity has delivered brutal cuts to our much loved public services and is hastening the break-up of the NHS. Some political commentators pedal the view that employment is up, but at the same time they conveniently neglect to mention that employment rights are being destroyed through the casualisation of the workforce such a zero hours contracts, and home carers are often not paid for travelling time to clients. I hope all of our members and Barnet residents find time to watch this film. We need everyone to get active in their communities and join the call for the end of Austerity.” John Burgess Branch Secretary Barnet UNISON.

The film is being screened at the iconic community Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley on Tuesday 28 February 2017. A  short Q & A will take place with Ken Loach and Paula Peters from DPAC interviewed by Aditya Chakrabortty, the senior economics commentator for the Guardian.

See attached flyer for details.

Notes to Editors.

Contact details: John Burgess Barnet UNISON on or 020 8359 2088 or email: john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk

DPAC http://dpac.uk.net/

Ken Loach http://www.sixteenfilms.co.uk/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barnet UNISON solidarity with PCS members in local job centres

Uncategorised

21stFebruary 2017

Dear Sir or Madam

Please see below our Branch’s response to your call for views on the proposal to close two Job Centres in the London Borough of Barnet.

Closure of Job Centres in the London Borough of Barnet

Barnet UNISON are concerned about the proposed closure of two of the four Job Centres in the Borough.  The DWP appears to have not fully considered the impact this would have on those people working in and using Job Centres, and the wider community including our members working to provide support for those seeking work.

Instead of closing Job Centres we call on the DWP to consider the benefits and opportunities of working in partnership with local Government.  The proposal shows a failure to learn from the success of existing DWP and Local Government partnerships such as the Boost project at Burnt Oak

Barnet’s population, already the size of many UK cities, will rise from 373, 000 to over 400,000 within the next decade. To reduce Job Centre services by 50% in the face of this growth illustrates a lack of strategic planning by the DWP

Reducing the number of Job Centres will place greater strains and stresses on people who already are in the difficult and worrying situation of having to find work as travel costs and waiting times will increase.

The closure of half of the Borough’s Job Centres will put further pressure on our members working in council services such as libraries and social care who are providing support to people who are out of work; our members are already suffering from additional pressures from cuts to jobs and resources.

Barnet UNISON call for a more imaginative and socially responsible approach to providing Job Centre Services in our Borough. This to be  arrived at after a  full and real consultation with Job Centre workers as represented by the PCS, service users, the Council and other concerned organisations.

Barnet Unison – Local Government branch.

Barnet UNISON votes to seek lawful national dispute over the School Budget cuts

Austerity, Local, News, Trades Dispute

Support our School Staff members

This Branch Executive Committee notes:

1.    This statement which came out 13 December 2016:

“State schools in England will have to find £3bn in savings by 2019-20, says the public spending watchdog. Schools face 8% budget cuts and about 60% of secondary schools already have deficits, warns a funding analysis from the National Audit Office (NAO).”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-38301843

2.      Our branch has received an unusually large number of requests from schools seeking consultation over redundancies.

3.      The cuts budget is a national agenda which being fought at a local level.

4.      School support staff are often a significant proportion (30-50%) of the membership of UNISON local government branches.

5.      The formation of a new Education trade union which will bring teachers and school support staff into one union.

6.      The disputes by Derby City and Durham UNISON teaching assistants against the imposition of pay cuts through term-time only contracts.

7.      The impressive public support those teaching assistants have received for their strike action.

This BEC believes:

1.    School support staff are particularly vulnerable to redundancies but there is then a knock-on effect for the rest of the school when jobs are cut.

2.    The scale of the problem, the speed of the consultations and the general lack of confidence amongst school support staff means it is incredibly difficult to organise effective, or any resistance to cuts in posts at individual schools as a result of the overall cut in the schools budget.

3.    The cuts budget is a national agenda which should be fought at a national level.

4.    The issue of term-time only pay should be made into a national dispute.

5.    Fighting cuts and defending public services is popular with the public.

This BEC resolves:

1.    To continue supporting and encouraging all and any colleagues fighting job losses and pay cuts on a local level.

2.    To call on UNISON to seek a way of registering a lawful national dispute over the School Budget cuts and begin the mobilisation of all of our members working in schools for a strike ballot.

3.    To call on UNISON to seek urgent talks with sister unions to attempt to coordinate joint national strike action over the School Budget Cuts.

4.    To send this motion to National Local Government conference 2017.

Love UNIONS; Join Barnet UNISON “there’s a lot going on!”

Anti - Racism, Austerity, Community, Demonstration, Local, News, Solidarity, Trades Dispute, UNISON Campaign

As part of 8‑14 Feb 2017 Heartunions week of action

Barnet UNISON is publishing our calendar of action we have organised for our members and the community we serve.

A big thanks to all of our UNISON reps, officers and our admin for all the work they have done and continue to do for our members.

20 February “1 Day Without Us”

“We want to demonstrate our solidarity for our migrant colleagues”

“By wearing a purple or green ribbon. You can also just wear something green or purple.”

“By taking solidarity selfies of you and your workmates on 20th February”

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2017.02.02-One-day-without-us-flyer.pdf #20Feb #1DayWithoutUs #BarnetUNISON

 

25 February “Sing Your Heart out 4 NHS”

“Join Barnet UNISON members and our fantastic Barnet residents in a musical message of solidarity for the NHS.”

We can now see what six years of austerity policies has had on the NHS which only recently was described by the Red Cross as a “humanitarian crisis”.

“Listen to Yannis Gourtsoyannis one of the Junior Doctors strikers talk first-hand about the NHS crisis”

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/2017.01.09-Rock-Against-Austerity-flyer-1.pdf #NHS #BarnetUNISON

 

28 February “I Daniel Blake” – Phoenix Cinema – East Finchley

“We are absolutely delighted that our long-time supporter Ken Loach has agreed to join a Q & A with DPAC’s Paula Peters, who will be interviewed by Aditya Chakraborrty senior economics commentator for the Guardian.”

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/barnet_idanielblake_28Feb2017_A4_poster.pdf

#IDanielBlake #BarnetUNISON

 

4 March – National “Save Our NHS” demo – Barnet UNISON

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2017/01/25/barnet-unison-supports-nhs-workers-join-us-4marchnhs/ #NHS #BarnetUNISON

 

7 March Barnet UNISON AGM – Fighting Apartheid to Fighting Austerity  

“I am deeply honoured to have as our grassroots speaker Paul Joseph. Paul born in South Africa, became a political activist in the anti-apartheid movement working closely with Nelson Mandela with whom he was good friends. We are all facing deeply troubling times both in the workplace and our homes and our communities. I strongly recommend our members to make time to attend our AGM and listen to Paul tell his story. Hopefully he will be able to give us some advice as to what we all can do and remain positive in these troubling times.” John Burgess, Branch Secretary, Barnet UNISON.

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2017/02/03/7-march-barnet-unison-agm-fighting-apartheid-to-fighting-austerity/

#PaulJoseph #Mandela #BarnetUNISON

 

18 March – United Nations “Stand Up to Racism” demo Barnet UNISON

Join the Barnet UNISON banner on what is becoming a seminal demonstration in wake of recent events across the globe.

http://www.standuptoracism.org.uk/national-demo-refugees-migrants-welcome-stand-racism-islamophobia-anti-semitism/ #StandUptoRacism #BarnetUNISON

 

Saturday 25 March “Join the Durham Teaching Assistants in Durham”

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2017/02/03/saturday-25-march-join-the-durham-teaching-assistants-in-durham/

#ValueUs #FightingBack #BarnetUNISON

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