Friday 14th October - residents’ picket at North London Business Park, 8-9am
We are hearing that those companies who remained in the race for running Barnet’s (currently public) services are hanging around North London Business Park every day now.
Therefore, residents will demonstrate outside at the Oakleigh Road North entrance on Friday 14th October between 8-9 am. Please join us there before work if you can, we have nice placards and a new banner…
Barnet Alliance for Public Services is inviting council staff and calling them to join the residents in this protest against the outsourcing of services, before they go in to start their working day.
Tuesday 18th October - Barnet Unison strike
On Tuesday 18 October up to 300 UNISON members will be taking another one-day strike as part of a trades dispute which concerns the identity of the employer.
Barnet Council is promoting the ‘One Barnet Programme’ (OBP) which is being rolled out across all council services in waves. They previously identified up to £3 million to implement what was then called their Future Shape policy. The latest brand, One Barnet, has had £9.2 million to pay for expensive consultants to carry out this mass outsourcing programme.
Wave 1 involves the following services bundled together into a number of contracts with an estimated price of up to £2 billion:
Trading Standards & Licensing, Land Charges, Planning & Development, Building Control & Structures, Environmental Health, Highways Strategy, Highways Network Management, Highways Traffic & Development, Highways Transport & Regeneration, Strategic Planning & Regeneration, Cemeteries & Crematoria; Parking Services, Revenues & Benefits
The prospect of secure, risk-free, huge council contracts and more contracts in wave 2 has already attracted the likes of SERCO, CAPITA, NSL, MOUCHEL, WS ATKINS and BT to Barnet.
The workforce implications of OBP could be that 70% of the council workforce could be transferred to the private sector in little more than 15 months time.
John Burgess Barnet UNISON Branch Secretary said:
“The Council is attempting to scare staff and residents into believing that all Council funding will be swallowed up on Adult Social Care and Children’s Services by 2025. They have produced no evidence to support this position. For the last three years we have been asking for a genuine dialogue with the council to explore ways to save money, improve services, involve the unions and strengthen democratic control at the same time. There is still time to turn this One Barnet Tanker Programme around!”
For more details or to send messages of support tel John Burgess Barnet UNISON on 07738 389569 or email [email protected]
BAPS will be supporting Barnet Unison in their strike and visiting the picket line at North London Business Park throughout the morning, from 7.30am.
