For the past nine months all the trade unions have had meetings with senior officers to try and avoid this attack on our right to organise and represent members. In these meetings we have been informed that senior managers have agreed to this proposal. This decision takes place before the Council begins to consult on ripping up staff terms & conditions, allowances, and take workers out of National Pay bargaining. Last week UNISON along with the other Council trade unions attended a last ditch meeting with the Leader of Barnet Council to try and avert this attack. Unfortunately our discussions were unsuccessful.

Stop gagging local unions in Barnet Council. Petition

 

Dear Mr Cornelius

It is clear from your own website that Barnet Council has already embarked on a radical outsourcing policy which has had a significant impact on former and current Council workers. Surely you must recognise the importance for staff to be represented and supported by a trade union?

Facility Time is good practice and is a means by which trade unions can carry out what are often demanding and complex roles which includes provision of advice to members, formal representation of members in grievance and disciplinary hearings and negotiating with managers over terms and conditions, outsourcing, restructures, cuts to services.

In 2007, the then Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR, now BIS – Department for Business Innovation and Skills) conducted a review of facilities and facility time available to workplace representatives. The review found the following in unionised workplaces:

· Dismissal rates were lower

· Voluntary exit rates were lower

· Employment tribunal cases are lower

· Workplace-related injuries were lower

· All of the above generated savings up to £977m for the employer.

As Leader of Barnet Council I am asking that you cease your proposal to reduce the facility time pot to zero for the two local trade unions.

Why is it important?

The two local trade unions, UNISON & GMB, have been subject to both personal and political attacks by Conservative controlled Barnet Council in relation to facility time. On 1 April 2014 the Council are ceasing all of the facility time for both trade unions. The facility time pot has already been cut by 66% to date. This is the final act of what has been a sustained attack on the local trade unions for daring to question the wisdom of the One Barnet mass outsourcing of Council services. Barnet Council has been promoting the ideology ‘Public Bad Private Good’ as the solution to ‘Austerity’ with the help of expensive consultants (Consultancy Agilisys estimated costs to date close to £8million this does not include £millions spent on legal advice). First it was Future Shape then EasyCouncil, then One Barnet and now it is being promoted as the Commissioning Council. Whatever the name of this policy the human cost has meant redundancies and significant attacks on terms & conditions for those staff outsourced to contractors such as Your Choice Barnet, NSL, Capita and Barnet Homes.

Here is an animation explaining what is happening in Barnet http://youtu.be/o6I9kP6nCMg

The Trade Unions view this attempt to gag the unions as a form of de-recognition as it is clearly designed to undermine our ability to represent and organise across a number of employers all of whom currently contribute to a facility time pot of money. Once again Barnet Council in its drive to outsource all of its remaining council services also wants to be first to smash the ability of trade unions to be able to support, represent and defend hard working staff.

To Sign Petition click on link below 

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-gagging-local-unions-in-barnet-council

Why is Barnet Homes not helping keep jobs in Barnet?

When the contract was awarded to Capita back in November 2012 and the details of the Capita proposals were made public, UNISON recognised all efforts must be made to reduce the number of redundancies as the jobs were exported to Belfast, Carlisle, Blackburn, and Southampton among some of the various Capita locations.

When Capita opened formal consultation on Monday 7 October 2013 outlining their proposals UNISON wrote to the Council. UNISON asked for all vacant jobs across Barnet Council, Barnet Homes and Your Choice be made available to any former Council Capita staff at risk of redundancy in order to try and reduce the numbers of redundancies. This would also keep the redundancy costs down and future benefit costs as a result of being made redundant.

Capita thought it was a sensible proposal but it was clearly not within their power to grant this request.

I am both angry and disappointed to report that whilst the Council have made posts available, Barnet Homes are currently refusing to make any vacant posts available to staff at risk of redundancy.

“What have UNISON done?”

When the position of Barnet Homes was revealed UNISON attempted to resolve this quickly both with Barnet Homes and later with Barnet Council.

UNISON again noting the large numbers of staff due to start receiving redundancy letters straight after Christmas, requested that this matter be expedited and commonsense applied.

I have report that we are still waiting for a decision.

It is both shocking and disappointing that Barnet Council does not have any power over organisations in which they own 100%. How can it be right that public body owned by the council would not want to work with the council to avoid making staff and their families redundant?

UNISON will be writing again to the Leader of Barnet Council.

Why is Barnet Council not helping keep jobs in Barnet?

UNISON has had further discussions with Capita about a proposal which could mean keeping jobs in Barnet; which would mean less staff being made redundant.

BUT and there is a big but.

For this project to get off the ground Barnet Council need to agree to Capita being able to hold on to the redundancy payments already provided by the Council.

“Why do we need Barnet Council to agree to this?”

The simple answer is that it is all in the Capita contract. As part of the Capita bid for the contract; the Council agreed to give Capita the redundancy money for any staff made redundant as a result of Capita winning the contract. I imagine that Barnet Council would have known the number of job losses in order to agree how much they would have to give Capita. We have been told it is approximately £5million which is quite a sum of money and a lot of staff losing their jobs.

However as a result of the delay in the transfer to Capita a large number of staff have already left which means there is going to be a substantial pot of money left over.

“What happens to the money?”

In the Capita contract it states Capita have to give Barnet Council a rebate on any unspent money after 5 years.

“So what is stopping the proposal to keep jobs in Barnet?”

For Capita to agree to the job creation proposal they need Barnet Council to allow Capita to hold onto some of the ‘redundancy money’ in case the new service is unsuccessful and the staff are made redundant. Unless Barnet Council agree it is highly unlikely Capita will proceed with this proposal.

“What have UNISON done?”

We wrote to senior officers of the council on several occasions pointing out the implications for staff and their families and requesting a speedy response preferably before Christmas (staff are due to be issued redundancy letters in the first week of January 2014 hence our urgency). Unfortunately the response was slow but a promise of a response on 20 December was made.

Unfortunately this deadline has been and gone. It does feel like the senior officers have not recognised the urgency and importance of this simple decision.

UNISON will press again for a response.

UNISON wrote the Leader of the Council on two occasions pointing out the promises made by fellow councillors that the utmost would be done to help loyal staff in these difficult times.

Unfortunately UNISON did not receive an acknowledgment or a reply to these requests.

UNISON will send another reminder to the Leader of Barnet Council asking for a response.

Barnet UNISON Guilty as charged

Barnet UNISON Annual General Meeting is on 12 March 2014, as part of our democratic process of electing officials the branch has written to all of our members about the personal and political attack on our branch.

Extract of the letter here

We are guilty of robustly representing our members which has upset our Council.

We are guilty of representing our members who have been outsourced through the mass privatisation One Barnet policy.

We are guilty of representing our members in restructures, redundancies, re-gradings.

We are guilty of representing our members at disciplinary meetings, sickness absence meetings and grievances hearings.

We are guilty of being there for members when no one else was prepared to listen.

We are guilty of supporting members trying to cope with or change unhealthy, stressful workplaces.

We are guilty of not keeping silent when our member’s terms & conditions are being attacked.

We are guilty of exposing the ongoing reliance and waste of taxpayers’ money on expensive consultants.

 

You can read the letter in full here http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/6%20Letter%20-%20facility%20time.pdf

Our branch is now under serious threat by the actions of our council who are targeting key UNISON reps in our branch in order to try and silence what is going on. It is our view the proposed removal of facility time is in effect a form of de-recognition of the trade unions. It is an attack on our democratic right to organise and represent our members.

Our branch is at the centre of a battle of political ideology & dogma where Public = Bad and Private = Good.

££££Millions of public money has been spent on consultants and lawyers to implement the now infamous One Barnet mass outsourcing programme.

We will continue to do our utmost to robustly support and defend our members in the workplace.

Our branch we will not be bullied into submission.

 

2013 was a significant year for our members and our branch and below are some highlights of the issues faced by our members.

January

Capita update to Council staff working in NSCSO & DRS services http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1137

Feedback from Tripartite meeting on Monday 28 January

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1164

February

Barnet UNISON Press Release: STOP the Privatisation of our Regulatory Services

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1179

March

Beware the “Ides of March” One Barnet Social Care Experiment is not working

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1181

Why Barnet UNISON is supporting BarnetSpring March

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1170

URGENT UPDATE Your Choice Care Workers

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1183

UNISON ‘Your Choice’ up date report

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1182

One Barnet “My worst fears” – by John Burgess UNSON Branch Secretary

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1185

Your Choice Care Workers Campaign update 17 March 2013

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1188

Barnet Spring or was it Winter march?

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1192

Barnet Spring video http://youtu.be/TnJXFLULrU8

397 jobs “The true cost of One Barnet outsourcing”

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1196

April

“Your Choice was never Our Choice!” – A New Campaign is Launched”

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1199

“Victory, Victory how does 400 redundancies equal victory?”

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1210

May

UNISON write to Leader of Barnet Council about Judicial Review

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/Letter%20to%20Leader%201%20May%202013.pdf

UNISON write to Chief Executive about Judicial Review

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/Letter%20to%20Chief%20Executive%201%20May%202013.pdf

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: ‘Capitaville’- Capita to takeover more Barnet Council services.

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1224

10 steps to learn more about One Barnet

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1222

Update list of Barnet Council services down for outsourcing

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1084

“We didn’t have a Crystal Ball but we did have Dexter!” – Your Choice Care Workers

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1226

Your Choice Care Workers Campaign – The Facts

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1227

June

Barnet residents and Barnet Labour Party submit 133 questions on the DRS Capita takeover proposal

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/Barnet%20residents%20Capita%20takeover%20questions.pdf

“All that glitters is not gold” – One Barnet Capita Symonds contract under scrutiny.

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1229

Stan Davison a Barnet Legend ‘Rest In Peace’

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1230

UNISON responds to Capita proposal to move jobs out of the community

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/2013%2006%2025%20UNISON%20response%20to%20Capita%20final%20measures%20letter.pdf

Top Ten stories in London Borough of Capita (formerly known as Barnet).

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1238

July

The fate of Barnet Council 600 jobs in the balance

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1243

Top Ten Commissioning failures

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1244

The Privatisation juggernaut – Five Public services targeted by privatisation lobbyists

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1250

Campaign Against the Destruction of Disability Support Services (CADDSS) produce response to Your Choice proposals http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/CADDSS%20analysis%20.pdf

August

“A day in the life of a coach escort in the London Borough of Barnet”

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1253

Consultation with Capita Symonds begins

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1254

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

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1255

September

Barnet residents organise funeral procession for Barnet Public Services

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1258

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

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1252

“I Found Myself Just Crying” – Your Choice Barnet

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1263

London Living Wage for Barnet Council staff.

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1264

Barnet Council publish Capita contract

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1268

October

“From hard working families to ‘scroungers’ – Capita redundancies

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1272

UNISON respond to Council may be forced to outsource additional services, warns leader”

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1274

CAPITA – KEEP OUR JOBS IN BARNET – Community Petition

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1282

UNISON call on Capita to reverse mass redundancies in Barnet

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1273

November

Public meeting “BONFIRE AGAINST AUSTERITY AND PRIVATISATION”

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1283

£20.5 million lost to frontline services and jobs!

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1295

UNISON response to Your Choice Task & Finish report

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/UNISON%20response%20to%20Task%20and%20Finish%20Report.pdf

“Outsourcing services for adults with disabilities is not working in Barnet”

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1303

December

Speech of the Year: “Living with a disability in the London Borough of Barnet”

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1311

Latest attack on UNISON by a Conservative councillor

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1310

Barnet Council proposal to remove all facility time for trade unions

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1307

 

UNISON attended a packed Safeguarding Committee on Wednesday 27 November 2013, where residents, services users, parents and carers all spoke in favour of bringing back tour Choice service back in house. For the first time ever UNISON was invited to speak. Initially this request was refused but it went to the vote and UNISON was allowed to speak. Our Branch Chair Helen Davies who has been the UNISON lead on consultation spoke eloquently about the plight of our members.

Later in the meeting a councillor tried to suggest that all the resident activity was all down to the trade unions who are “socialists with a political ideology!” It felt like we had gone back in time to the Victorian era courtesy of the Dr Who Tardis, by the way did anyone see last weeks episode…….

A number or residents and a service user spoke and you can read a full account of the meeting here on Mrs Angry’s Blog here

A sister of one of the services users spoke to the committee had this to say

“in the eight years he has been using Flightways he has had a the safety of a comfortable , intellectually stimulating , creatively stimulating environment and he is incredibly worried that he is going to be thrown back into a situation he was in before he was able to use Flightways of being bussed around from place to place, from a library to a garden centre, from a supermarket to a pub and a fish and chip shop……..the question is …..Can you reassure my brother and his friends that they will have a place that they can go to, a centre they can go to every day where they can feel safe and comfortable?”

The response from the Council was incredible you can listen to it 3 minutes 50 seconds into this video here

You can view the statements made to the Committee here

 

Barnet UNISON Press Release: “Outsourcing services for adults with disabilities is not working in Barnet”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 25 November

On Wednesday 27 November at 7 pm in Hendon Town Hall Barnet Councillors on the Safeguarding Overview and Scrutiny Committee will consider a Task & Finish Report on the future of the failing outsourced One Barnet experiment Your Choice Barnet (YCB) which provides services for adults with disabilities.

In March this year YCB began consultation with trade unions as a result of serious financial difficulties. The service had to bailed out by publicly owned Barnet Homes to the tune of £1million along with proposals for a restructure, serious cuts to pay and terms and conditions of the workforce.

In July a Task & Finish Group was given the brief to review YCB.

Barnet UNISON and Parent/Carers Group CADDSS both made submissions to the Task & Finish Group.

UNISON has seen the report which fails to address the serious financial viability of this service.

UNISON has four key recommendations to all councillors on Safeguarding Overview and Scrutiny Committee

1. Bring back the service in-house.

2. Agree with the unions a time table to achieve a sustainable workforce by substantially increasing staff working with permanent employment contracts and reducing the numbers of casual staff.

3. Develop a robust framework for consulting with carers and service users on changes to the services including staffing issues.

4. Shelve the benchmarking exercise of salaries in order to improve staff morale and sustain high quality service.

John Burgess UNISON Branch Secretary said: Barnet Council “Task and Finish report does not provide convincing evidence on which to have any confidence that the LATC will be able to achieve a safe, sustainable and high quality service. It is critical to the future of these services that common sense is applied as opposed to political dogma. Bring these services back in-house and bring peace of mind to parents/carers and secure a future for service users.”

**** Ends *****

Notes to Editors.

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

Links

Background

In February 2012 Barnet Council transferred learning disability and physical and sensory impairment services for adults to a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) together with Barnet Homes, the Arms Length Management Organisation managing the council housing stock. About 160 staff (145.6 Full Time Equivalents) in Adults services transferred to the LATC.

1. UNISON response to Your Choice Task & Finish report

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/UNISON%20response%20to%20Task%20and%20Finish%20Report.pdf

2. ‘The way out of financial crisis’ by Professor Dexter Whitfield

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/CADDSS%20analysis%20.pdf

3. UNISON response to Your Choice Consultation paper

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/Full%20UNISON%20response%20to%20YOUR%20CHOICE%20May%202013.pdf

4. The Secret Cuts: Part One, Social Care http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/05/secret-cuts-part-one-social-care

5. Your Choice board walks out after being lobbied by campaigners http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/10452438.Your_Choice_board_walks_out/

Above is a Bar Graph which shows the Council is shrinking due to the outsourcing.

In September this year the Council produced performance statistics here; on page 9 there is a staffing breakdown by service area. Members know our branch has been persistently asking the Council to produce accurate information about job vacancies. In our view it is critically important that all staff facing redundancy are provided with opportunities to secure another job within the Council and avoid being made redundant.  According to the figures provided by the Council there were 726.71 vacancies across the Council.

Next week the Budget report going to Cabinet Committee so, now we know the Council workforce has reduced to 2,200. What is shocking is that according to figures produced at Remuneration Committee last month almost a half of the Council workforce earns less that the London Living Wage (approx £8.80 and hour). In the Budget report it identifies 34 posts at risk of redundancy; however the bigger number of staff at risk of redundancy are former Council staff who transferred to Capita. UNISON is pleased to note that Capita & Council are putting in place a process for these staff to be able to apply for any vacant posts within the Council.

X files comes to Barnet via Capita Plc – View Flyer here

Information: Our branch is currently in consultation with Capita Plc over their proposals to restructure and relocate the former Barnet Council back office services. This is a controversial and complex consultation as the proposal looks to export jobs out of our community.

Our branch has three key aims:

1. To convince Capita to keep jobs in Barnet

2. To convince Capita to develop an alternative service delivery model

3. To reduce the number of job losses from our community.

In order to be able to have meaningful consultation it is important we have accurate information which includes a financial breakdown of savings for each of the services being delivered by Capita Plc.

Staffing.

UNISON has for the last nine months seeking to establish the total staffing establishment (occupied and vacant) for each of services in order to be able to achieve our aims.

Therein lies the problem. Trying to get an accurate picture of the staffing establishment has become a significant challenge and as such has become known in our branch as the “search for the truth” and like X Files Agent Mulder we believe the truth is out there……..its just a question of time……….!

Our Council now refers to itself as the “Commissioning Council”, others are calling it the “Disappearing Council” and others the “Hollowed Out Council”

All services both internal or contractors are referred to as Service Delivery Units. In order to explain our quest for the “truth” in relation to staffing establishment (which includes all posts occupied & vacant) we have produced a number of “service delivery vans”

You can sign a 38 degrees petition to “Keep jobs in Barnet” here