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The following speech was delivered to General Functions Committee,

on Tuesday 6th December at 7pm in Hendon Town Hall 

“Dear members of the committee

I addressing you as both the branch secretary of Barnet UNISON, but also speaking as a service user of mental health services, indeed without the support I was given and the ongoing support I still receive today there is a strong likelihood I may not of been speaking to you this evening

It is also worth noting much quoted statistic that one in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year.

I therefore speak not only as a worker but from personal experience of using mental health services.

I also want to make this point that I believe is often missed by elected members. I speaking to you all as employers not politicians. It is as an employer I am wanting to address our members, your staff concerns about the proposal before the committee this evening.

Firstly, I can confirm we are not opposed to the staff being brought back into the Council and we are fully supportive of the proposed social care model of intervention.

However when travelling across the borough it is impossible not to see the number of housing developments; and with it the increase in population; and with that the increased need for schools, NHS provision, social services to name but a few public services.

It is therefore highly dangerous to be proposing to cut Mental Health services at a time when the population is growing.

It is our view that the proposed cut of mental health social workers coupled with the increase in responsibilities will NOT lead to a safer service for service users, families and carers.

Barnet UNISON is extremely concerned about the reduction of social workers and the introduction of Assessment Enablement Officers (AEO).

In mental health staff are working with extremely complex and high risk individuals in situations where you need qualified experienced and knowledgeable staff.

Currently mental health social workers have significantly high caseloads (which includes the work connected to their statutory responsibilities in their Approved Mental Health Practitioner roles.

The cut in social workers will lead to greater pressure upon an already pressured staff group increasing the risk of more Serious Untoward Incidents (SUI) happening.

You will no doubt have been briefed that the Council is not making any social workers redundant, which is true; and you will have been told that the new proposal to replace qualified social workers with AEO’s will provide a better service.

With respect this premise is nonsense.

The proposal to cut mental health social workers is directly driven by NEED.

However, not by the NEEDS of service users and carers, but by the NEED to make Austerity cuts.

Lessons learnt

I would like to remind the committee that it was only two years ago when I addressed this same committee about the now infamous Family Services restructure. At that meeting I tried to convince members of the committee to extend the period of consultation as I was concerned the changes had been driven through in haste and that I feared there would be consequences for the service and the staff.  Unfortunately the committee chose accept the advice of senior officers who are now no longer working for the council. However I can report that the restructure had to be revisited as I predicted, there was a high turnover of experienced social work staff which then resulted in the recruitment crisis you now have in children’s social work.

 

Sometimes it is worth listening to UNISON.

 

We’ve been here before 18th February this year, Adults brought a similar proposal to cut social work posts, and use non-professionally qualified workers.

My members, your staff, describe feeling they are “flying by the seat of their pants”

The rationale put before this committee for cutting social work posts was that new Capita IT database “Mozaic” would deliver efficiencies. Well 10 months later this is not happening because “Mozaic”, once again has been pulled. There have been so many false starts with Mozaic if they had been a sprinter they’d have been disqualified from the Olympics by now.

 

Consultancy spend

I want members to take a look at agency/consultants spend.

Last year the council spent £18.2 million on agency/consultants. This figure is larger than the year before which was £17.9 million, which was significantly larger than the previous year which was £15.5million, which was previously larger than the previous year £13.7million which was previously larger than the previous year £12.5million.

In the last two quarters of this year the Council has already spent £13.7 million on agency/consultants which if the current pattern continues could see the Council break £20million.

It is our view that the Council needs to address this agency/consultancy uncontrollable spend in order to protect vital front line services and in this case drop the proposal to cut social work posts.

 

John Burgess

Branch Secretary

Barnet UNISON

 

 

Barnet UNISON Library workers, 46% of whom are facing the sack, are quite rightly outraged by the latest financial information on Council spend which was published last week.

Barnet Council Policy & Resources Committee meets at Hendon Town Hall at 7 pm on Thursday 1 December 2016.

It is Agenda Item 10 – Annual Procurement Forward Plan which has caused anger, dismay and disbelief.

http://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s36302/Appendix%201%20-%20Annual%20Procurement%20Forward%20Plan%202017-18.pdf

Scroll down to point 17 in the procurement plan where it reveals proposed spend on Libraries construction of £12 million. Items 18-25 show a further £2.125 million for additional associated costs making a total of:

£14.125 million.

A quick recap on other Barnet Council spend.

Below are the Agency/Consultancy figures for the last four years.

• £12,526,943
• £13,775,546
• £15,538,090
• £17,907,052

Making a total of £59,747,631.

In the first two quarters of this financial year Barnet Council has spent £9.3 million which, if it continues at this rate, will bring the total spend for this year to over £20 million on Consultants/Agency.

Barnet Council claims it is being forced into the Library changes by a need to cut £2.162 million from the Library Service budget by 2019/20.

Members and Barnet UNISON have been asking a very simple question:

“Is it true that in order to save £2.162 million Barnet Council is spending over £6 million (which does not include redundancy costs) on a project to close four public libraries (by handing them to volunteers), on a project that will restrict access for disabled people and children under 15 and is now planning to spend an additional £14.125 million on construction and associated costs (making a grand total of £20.125 million)?”

This latest revelation seriously calls into question why staff are being made redundant and why a service with a 97% Customer satisfaction rating is being brutally dismantled.

As far as Barnet UNISON is aware the £14.125 million construction and additional costs have never been disclosed in any of the reports going to previous Children’s Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committees.

What can we do?

There is still time to stop the destruction of the Barnet Libraries Service. Barnet UNISON will be speaking at General Functions Committee on Tuesday 6 December at 7 pm at Hendon Town Hall. The Leader of Barnet Council Richard Cornelius is on this committee. The committee could refuse to implement the redundancies which would save the Library Service.

 

Join Barnet UNISON on #6December

 

Don’t take our jobs

Barnet UNISON has sent the letter below to the following Voluntary Organisations who are bidding to take over our Libraries.

NW7 HUB

Inclusion Barnet

Mind in Barnet

Kisharon

The Hope of Childs Hill

TES Youth.

 

Dear Voluntary Organisation

I am writing to you on behalf of UNISON members working in Barnet Libraries. I have had the honour of representing this workforce for a long time and they have faced incredible adversity in terms of ongoing cuts to Library services in all that time. In spite of that, earlier this year they received a 97% customer satisfaction rating which I think demonstrates their high level of professionalism and their unquenching love for Libraries.

I understand that you and a number of voluntary organisations are bidding to run one of the four Partnership Libraries and this is why I am writing to you.

My request is a simple one.

Please do not bid.

I do not know if you are aware but currently 46% of Library staff are facing the sack. They are being sacked because the Council is relying on volunteers provided by you to take over four Libraries. My members have their own lives, families and caring responsibilities. They too need to work to live and they have worked hard to ensure they provide a high quality Barnet Library service.

If you are under the belief that the Council is unable to keep the Libraries open, and volunteers are the next best thing to at least keep them open, then please read on.

Below are the Agency/Consultancy figures for the last four years.

• £12,526,943
• £13,775,546
• £15,538,090
• £17,907,052

In the first two quarters of this financial year Barnet Council spent £9.3 million which, if it continues at this rate, will bring the total spend for this year to over £20 million on Consultants/Agency.

It is important you know that instead of spending money on front line Library services the Council spent almost £0.5 million on press officers.

Finally, it is hard to believe, but Barnet Council will have spent over £6 million on the project to destroy the Library service and made a donation of £500,000 to the RAF Museum for which it has no responsibility. The £6million is predicated on volunteers taking our members’ jobs and running four shell Libraries.

Anti-social behaviour

I do not believe your organisation is aware of the number of difficult and dangerous situations that Barnet library staff have to deal with. During the last 7 months Barnet UNISON has received 4 reports of physical assaults (2 on staff and 2 on members of the public) in Libraries. There were also 27 reports of aggressive behaviour and verbal abuse. The victims being equally divided amongst staff and public. Not all incidents are reported to UNISON so the real figures are likely to be higher.

Situations our colleagues have to deal with include preventing fights between members of the public, dealing with people under the influence of alcohol and drugs,  library users viewing pornography on computers, Members of the public urinating and defecating on library furniture and floors, racial and homophobic abuse, and threats of sexual assault.

I want to be very clear that our members welcome the support of volunteers as a supplement to publically running the Library service. We welcome the commitment of volunteers to try to keep the Library Service open. However, the proposal by Barnet Council undermines the role of the ‘volunteer’ by using them to take our members’ jobs and effective close publicly funded Libraries.

This is why I am writing to you, to ask that your organisation does not pursue the partnership libraries proposals and instead joins with our members and supporters in the Save Barnet Libraries campaign to keep our Libraries fully funded and staffed by paid employees. I would welcome an opportunity to meet with representatives of your organisation to discuss the issues contained within this letter.

Yours sincerely

John Burgess

Branch Secretary

Barnet UNISON

 

I am a Library Customer Service Assistant in Barnet Libraries, and before I that was a Library and Information Officer and before that  a Library Assistant.  I have worked for Barnet for 35 years and hoped to retire in three years’ time.  I know I will get redundancy money if I lose my job but it will not be able to cover my expenses for long. Personal circumstance meant that I had to give up my home and now I rent. Without a regular income I am not sure I will be able to cover my living expenses. I don’t splash out on a lot of luxuries but after working all my life I think I deserve more than just to exist.  I have spent my working life helping people in libraries. I have read stories to toddlers and then helped them with their homework when they got older.  One of the children I used to do this for came to work in Libraries with me a few years ago, before she got a job as a librarian in another part of London.   I know I have to retire sometime but I don’t want to be forced into giving up work. It should be my decision. It is bad enough that the Council want to hand our libraries over to private companies, but charities and residents groups should know better.

* Identities have been changed to protect the striker

Please, please, voluntary groups, please don’t take over our libraries. I don’t understand why you want to do this. I thought charities were all about doing good for people.  Taking jobs away is not what you should be doing. Also what about the people who use the libraries, they need them more than just 15 hours a week. I have only been working in my library for 2 years but I really like it. Working here much better than my old shop job which I had for a year after leaving school.  I have learned so much and feel much happier with myself. I used to be really shy at school but I need to talk to different types of customer now and they really need my help so I can’t be shy. I really don’t want to lose my job, I know it can be hard sometimes when someone shouts and swears at you, but most people are nice.

* Identities have been changed to protect the striker

It worries’ me that libraries are going to be handed over to voluntary organisations to run. Please don’t misunderstand me, I think these do really useful work but they should concentrate on what they were set up for.  Running a library is not a simple matter of just lending books. A lot of organisation is needed to manage stock.  Much of what libraries do now is IT based and we also run a lot of events and activities for adults and children.  There are also times when library staff have to deal with very difficult situations and often we get verbal abuse and worse from customers. I just don’t think the charities and other groups thinking of taking over the libraries realise just how difficult it is.  They probably mean well but It’s seems they think that anyone can just walk in off the street and be a librarian, library manager or a library customer service officer. That’s just not true.

I have been working in Barnet Libraries since I was a teenager and I am now in my mid-thirties. I have children at primary school. It can be hard looking after my kids and working but I do not want to get the sack. It is not just because we have a mortgage to pay and bringing up kids is expensive, but I really love my job. I have learned a lot working in Barnet libraries and love helping people. Some of the elderly people I help sometime talk to no one else all day. What is going to happen to them when the libraries change?

 

* Identities have been changed to protect the striker

» Read more

Dear Colleagues

Strike Action

Barnet UNISON has called for industrial action in Barnet Libraries on the following dates:

• Saturday 5^th of November 2016 

• Saturday 12^th of November 2016 

• Monday 28^th of November to Friday 3^rd of December 2016

This is in pursuance of our dispute with the Council over the outsourcing of the Library Service. The Council plans to hand 4 of our Libraries to “Community groups, not-for-profit and voluntary organisations” in April 2017. The Council plans to outsource the remaining Libraries at a future date.

“The Council will continue to explore the opportunity to develop an alternative model for the management of Library Services as part of a later phase of the Library Service review once the future model for the service is agreed by the Council.

(Appendix A: Future of Barnet Libraries 4.2.11 Alternative Delivery Models) » Read more

Colleagues at Barnet House will be amused to read the conclusion of the Health and Safety Report into the confused evacuation process at Barnet House on 27th September – that it’s all the fault of staff not obeying the fire wardens. Never mind that a number of staff members experienced being given conflicting messages (not necessarily from fire wardens). Of course if a fire warden instructs colleagues to leave the building then this is what we must do, but do we detect a culture of managerial abdication in the face of Health and Safety concerns? » Read more