Friday 13th April D DAY for Barnet staff

Dear Colleagues

Our office has literally been bombarded with calls from members who have received letters giving notice of the Council’s intention to change the terms and conditions of your contract.

It is our view that the Council have not given sufficient notice to staff as they are required by Statute. We will most likely be advising and supporting all members to take out employment tribunal claims against the Council.

I must express my personal dismay that the Council has chosen to send out the letter on the very day before the meeting with the Joint Secretaries of the London Provincial Council to try and resolve the dispute. This is happening tomorrow and they do this today. What arrogance? What utter disrespect for the disputes resolution process?

This meeting has been mentioned by the Chief Executive in the First Team and the date was agreed with senior officers of the Council.

It was the Joint Trade Unions view that it was in the interests of our members to try and find a negotiated settlement to the proposal. A strike ballot could have commenced weeks ago but we hoped that a meeting with the Provincial Secretaries could lead to a proposal that we could put to our members. There seems little or no prospect of this happening now. It needs a miracle because for any agreement to be reached BOTH sides need to commit to make concessions.

It seems clear now that the Council NEVER had any intention to make any concessions which quite frankly shows contempt for the staff and their trade union representatives.

It is clear from the responses to the grievances that this proposal is going to show considerable hardship to large numbers of staff and particularly the low paid. The offers of loans are not adequate and neither are the repayment options. The offers of help and support changing direct debits are no where near the level that will be required and we suspect any requests for assistance will be dealt with by too few staff who will never have done this sort of thing before. They’ll also be affected so PLEASE bear that in mind when talking to them.

As for the savings, we say £120,000 may be a lot of money but the Council has £19.5 million owed to it and we would rather they spent time chasing these debts than using OUR money to invest.

Perhaps they thought staff were an easy target and that you would all roll over and accept it. We think they’d better think again. Already we have heard some companies may charge for changing the direct debits and the whole process may take far longer than the unlawful notice they have given. Something we would have put to them in our consultation meeting with the Provincial Council.

Most of us are all too familiar with Bank charges and how difficult it is to get the money back.

Through consultation with our members we have had a number of proposals that we were prepared to talk to them about BUT that opportunity has been seemingly taken AWAY.

Like they are doing with YOUR money!

What’s the big deal?
There have been a few and I say only a handful of comments that this is all a waste of time for the Trade Unions to be involved in.

Maybe for some members of staff this is not an inconvenience but this maybe a surprise to some staff but Barnet staff are not on big salaries unless you are a senior manager (I believe that Barnet is in the top bracket for this group of staff)

Most staff are just about coping with having to live and work in London with increases in Council Tax, road tax, utility bills, interest rates, rent increases.
So it does matter and it matters that the Council has now wasted more money on this proposal when it would have been better spent chasing debts.
As Branch Secretary I have the opportunity to see what is happening across the whole council and there are areas where the Council should be focusing on saving money, not looking to make a ‘fast buck’ off the backs of their staff.

I will be asking for the UNISON London region to begin the strike ballot which I would ask all of you to support.

If you haven’t filled in a grievance form, it is not too late.

Ring the branch and send them by fax to 0208 368 5985

What now?

I am in discussions with the GMB and the two unions Regional Officers. We will be going to the meeting tomorrow with the Joint Secretaries of the Provincial Council and we will let all our members know by Monday 16 April what the latest position is.


John Burgess
Branch Secretary

Regional Officer Eddy Coulson has commented too. He thinks the savings are miniscule compared to what the Council needs and is owed. It is creating undue tensions in so many households and will inevitably create problems for staff who have neither the time, ability nor inclination to deal with them. This is not the fault of staff it is how some are and how they cope with life. It is aggravation we and they could all do without. He is also sceptical about the amount that this is all supposed to save for the Council. According to his calculations the sums involved are less than £100,000 and the saving is a single saving not a recurring annual saving. This much aggravation and this much grief for so little it beggars belief.

Fremantle workers dispute reaches Parliament

John McDonnell MP has delivered on his promise to highlight the outrageous attacks on low paid care workers working for The Fremantle Trust.

John came to a Public Fremantle workers and relatives meeting in January this year to hear for himself the outrageous attacks on Fremantle staff.

Despite the efforts of both UNISON and GMB to try to find a negotiated settlement, Fremantle and their partner in c**** Catalyst have pushed ahead and we are now only 11 days away before they dismiss the TUPE staff who transferred from the Council only 5 years ago.

It is interesting that some apologists for New Labour like to make a distinction between the Private and the Not for Profit organisations that have plagued both Local Government and Health services over the last 20 years.

Well from where I am standing I can't see the difference!....I'd invite anyone to come and meet our members and try and explain how much worse it could have been if they had been transferred to the Private sector!

GET real!

Cuts in pay of up to 30%, attacks on annual leave, premium payments, sickness and a reduced Pension ......................on an already low wage!

Who can defend this sort of treatment?

Which is why we must have more Labour MPs like John McDonnell.

Labour must wake up before it is too late..........

So you have the link to the Early Day Motion .......

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=32921&SESSION=885

Read it and then contact YOUR MP ask them to

sign it NOW.

Barnet Council - Moving YOUR Pay Date

Barnet Council -Moving YOUR Pay Date

Fremantle Strike Update 13 March 2007

Fremantle used the Anti Trade Union laws to scupper the strike which was due to start next week.

Well Fremantle & Catalyst both UNISON and the GMB are not going away!

Balloting will start again.

Your attempts to score points by challenging the legality of the ballot further demonstrates your lack of respect for the staff who have for the past 20 years loyally provided a service to the most vulnerable members of our society.

Your proposals will push our members to the poverty line and pile on more pressure for those who are now looking a a much reduced Pension as a result of your cuts to their terms and conditions.

You had a choice to take on the staff. Our members did not have the same choice,

BUT if you asked them all now they would all jump at the chance to be employed by the Council.

Who is paying for your proposals?

Fremantle, Catalyst?................NO

It is the staff who PAY.......with the loss of their pay, annual leave, sickness entitlements .
It is residents who will be at risk as quality staff leave only to be replaced by agency staff.

We are not be surprised by your tactics......you have already put down a marker early in this dispute when you wrote to our members to asking them to sign away their terms and conditions the week before Christmas.

Then sending managers down to each setting allegedly to help staff sign the letter!

Then we had reports that staff were being told that if they don't sign away their terms and conditions until the last possible moment they will not get the best shifts.....................

How do you sleep at night?

Because of this delay staff as from the 1 April 2007 will be moved to the poverty wages. We will be balloting our members at the same time they see the true impact of what you are taking from them!

Fellow Trade Unionists/MPs/Relatives /Supporters

you can help simply email the

Fremantle Chief Executive Carol Sawyer at carole.sawyers@fremantletrust.org

Catalyst Chief Executive Rod Cahill at rod.cahill@chg.org.uk

Barnet Super Saver Scheme -It's...............

LONDON BOROUGH of BARNET “SUPER-SAVER” SCHEME

Staff will have heard by now that the Council is ‘considering’ changing the date when you are paid – from mid to end month. If you haven’t heard, ask your managers why not and request a copy of the information that went out.

The Director’s Group, who have put this brilliant idea forward, claim there will be a ‘saving’ of £80,000 to £123,000 per year. This will be achieved by keeping two of the four weeks money you are normally paid on the fifteenth of each month for an extra fortnight. By playing the money markets, it is said, extra interest can be achieved. The amount quoted, by the way, is a miniscule part of a council budget of over £141,000,000 and will only be achieved if the money markets are favourable.

‘What a great idea’, you may think, ‘how much extra will I get ?’ The answer is nothing, zilch, a big fat zero. In fact if you save on a regular basis, you will lose out. The interest on your money (you’re already owed it), will be going into Barnet’s coffers rather than your pocket.

If this was proposed out in the commercial market how many people would choose to join? In reality it would probably be reported to ‘Watchdog’ for investigation. But at least there would be some element of choice; you could choose to join or not.

The trade unions, UNISON and GMB, have argued that, apart from the principle involved, this change would have the greatest adverse effect upon those staff on the lower levels of the pay structure. Perhaps if we all got paid the same amount as the members of the Directors Group, we wouldn’t see a problem with this proposal either!

Two arguments have been put forward in support of this ‘supa-saver’ scheme. The ‘business case’ is the first. Of course it is good business for Barnet to deny you what you are already entitled to, but equally it is a good ‘business case’ for us to demand our money so that we can benefit from any interest that it might earn. If this ‘business case’ is so good why does the Borough not delay paying all it’s bills by a fortnight ?

The second is that it will reduce ‘overpayments’. There is a claim that a substantial amount of money is lost to the Council when someone leaves before they have worked the two weeks that is paid in advance under the present system. The amount again is minimal in terms of the overall budget. In 2006, 96 people left owing Barnet £71,451.57. We believe that a similar amount of overpayment results from system errors. Again whilst Barnet Council shows great concern about bad debts when staff are involved, they actually have processes to write these off when they occur elsewhere in their budgets.

The Trade Unions have vigorously rejected this proposal. However your senior managers seem to believe we are making a fuss about nothing. That you, the staff, who, we are constantly being told are Barnet’s ‘greatest asset’, will accept this change almost without comment or protest.

Both Trade Unions suggest you prove them wrong. UNISON has already conducted a ballot of the members they represent; who, not only, overwhelmingly rejected the proposed change of date, but also indicated a willingness to take industrial action. The GMB may well be forced to follow suit shortly if this idea is not withdrawn.

In the meantime, both UNISON and GMB Unions urge every member of staff, if you disagree with the change of pay date, to ensure that management know how you feel. Contact senior managers by whatever means you have at your disposal and inform them, politely of course, of your views. Let them know what you think of their proposal or email in confidence your trade union representatives at either john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk or mick.carter@barnet.gov.uk

Tell them the effect it will have upon you and your family. What difficulties you will face.

What next?

Plan A
The Trade unions have registered a ‘collective dispute’ with the Greater London Provincial Council. So everything stays on hold until an agreement is reached.

Plan B (only to be used in the event that Plan A is not successful)
1. Petition to the Leader of the Council – copies available from your trade union office

2. Mass grievances to the Chief Executive – please contact your Trade Union for copy of the grievance and envelope.

3. The Trade Unions will contact their respective Regional offices in relation to commencing a formal ballot for possible industrial action.

If you need any practical assistance in doing this, perhaps because you do not have access to a computer, but want to send an e-mail, contact either of the Trade Union Offices: Unison 020 8359 2088, GMB 020 8359 5086 and we will do our very best to assist you.


John Burgess Mick Carter
UNISON Branch Secretary GMB Acting Convenor

National Pay Award.................

It is easy to forget with all the talk about Pensions (and rightly so) that it is that time again when our National Negotiators are busy trying to obtain the best deal for us.

Follow the link to see what the starting point for negotiations. We will keep you posted on any future developments

http://www.unison.org.uk/localgov/pages_view.asp?did=4524

Barnet UNISON members what do you think of the claim?

Pensions..........you confused........?

UNISON have at last produced a ready reckoner.
Input your details in order to compare the current and the proposed scheme.
Follow the link below
http://www.unison.org.uk/pensions/news_view.asp?did=3062

Fremantle workers and relatives campaign update

Fremantle Workers update

The Strike ballot ends on Monday 19 February for further news on the latest attacks on these staff please follow the link…………………..

http://www.unison.org.uk/file/B3040.pdf.pdf

Please Support our campaign email
john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk

Barnet Learners receive their Awards

This is really what it is all about !

Just two of the many Learners receiving their certificates from the Chief Executive of Barnet Council at the Return2Learn Open day on 12 February 2007.

The real challenge for the Council and Barnet UNISON is to ensure the Action Plan delivers. We are already planning courses for staff working in Environmental Services, Children's Services, Cleaning Contractors, Housing 21 starting after Easter.

We are determined to champion Learning opportunities for all staff.

If you want to enrol on one of our course please contact the branch on 0208 359 2088 where our Life Long Learning Coordinator Carmen Bruno will speak to you.

Signed Sealed & Delivered!

On 12 February 2007 Barnet UNISON and Barnet Council held a Skills for Life Open day and and received the National GO Award. Although awards can be seen as tick box awards with little or no impact on staff in this case I would have to disagree. The impact on Learners lives both at work and at home has truly been ‘Life Changing’

Since we signed our Learning Agreement in October 2005, Life Long Learning has been at the heart of our branch activities. Within four weeks of the signing the agreement we had an IT suite for staff to start our Return2learn courses. From January to July 2006 we ran 10 courses for almost 150 staff working down our depot. For some staff it was the first time a Trade Union had really spent any time with them.

This January the programme of courses has started again with two school staff courses starting, an ESOL course for staff working for the local cleaning contractors and one course for Housing 21 (Home Care provider).

The team of ULRs under the leadership of our Life Long Learning Coordinator (Carmen Bruno) have managed to spread the message of Life Long Learning across the Council and the Council’s business partners. It was then fantastic news to hear that Carmen and her team had received a national award (the IDea (Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government) award) for the best Union Learner Rep team.

The GO Award and the National ULR award mark a new stage in the development of Life Long Learning in Barnet. Usually when an organisation signs up for GO Award, they have 6 months to develop an Action Plan, which if approved means achieving the GO Award. In Barnet we signed up and achieved the GO Award all on the same day. It has been hard work but the Action Plan now provides the Council with some serious targets over the next two years.

Often Trade Union work is adversarial, this work has been totally the opposite. I feel that it is the most rewarding work I have been involved with in almost 25 years of involvement in Trade Unions.

It’s Life Changing
This does sum up what these courses have meant to staff. Our tutor claims he has seen Learners visibly grow in confidence as they progress through the courses.

The Future
We are looking forward to the relocation of the training facilities in the Depot to something more secure and suitable learning environment. We hope that sometime in the near future we will be able to secure time off for our ULRs to staff the IT suite in order to facilitate staff to practise using the IT and perhaps take the National Tests.

Message for all branches
Get Involved! It is an excellent recruitment initiative. It raises the profile of the Union within the work place. It provides a different space for dialogue with your employer.

But lastly and most importantly it provides a second chance for a large group of staff who are have been consistently ignored, poor paid and therefore denied opportunities to progress not just within the work place but the wider society as a whole.

John Burgess – Branch Secretary

Barnet UNISON
Annual General Meeting

1 March 2007
3.30 pm

Conference room
Building 5
North London Business Park

Guest Speaker
Dave Prentis UNISON General Secretary

It’s your chance to speak to our Lead Negotiator on Pensions & the Pay Award

Don’t miss this opportunity

12 Days to go…………

Return2Learn Open Day

Do you want your pay date moved?

Fremantle workers and Relatives campaign

Tomorrow night John McDonnell MP addresses the Fremantle Workers and Relatives Public meeting at Hendon Town Hall 16 January 2007

John has openly 'thrown his hat into the ring' as a contender for the Leadership of the Labour party. Whilst senior Labour politicians avoid a possible leadership election (and fight over the meaningless role of deputy leader) John McDonnell has been campaigning up and down the country speaking to trade unions, public meetings outlining his view for the Labour party.

What is key is the debate within the Labour party is outlining the future. For UNISON members it is a crucial debate and one in which UNISON should be leading as Public Services are under attack under Blair’s government.

John will be speaking about the mass lobby of Parliament next week ( 23 January 2007) in conjunction with the TUC and UNISON where the Fremantle workers and relatives campaign will be given a national exposure.

Support your colleagues come along tomorrow evening.

More on the New Look Pension Scheme

Barnet UNISON members please note on Friday 12 Janaury UNISON London region had a Pension briefing.

On the subject of Pensions contributions it became clear that a significant number of our members would be discriminated against if the current formula is passed unopposed. For details please see example below.

What was explained at the pensions briefing was that while the first £12000 would be at the lower rate of 5.5% this would be pro rataed for part time workers who would work out the proportion of the salary that will be deducted at the higher rate by working out what the full time salary would be and applying the proportions to the part time salary. If a worker earns 12000 and works exactly half the working week their full time equivalent salary would be £24000 so that 50% or £6000 will be deducted at 5.5% and the other 50% £6000 would be at 7.5%.This is appalling discrimination of part time workers who are mainly women and can not understand why this was not consider a “deal breaker” as they described a number of points in the new scheme. What the negotiators appeared not to have even taken account off is the effect on huge number of term time only workers, whether full time (during the working weeks) or not. A quick calculation seems to leave teaching assistant earning £12000 working 25 hours a week (which is about normal hours) and term time only paying nearly £100 more to pension scheme then some one earning £12000 on a full time basis.

Quite clearly it is important for members and branches feedback concerns about the proposals.

Do you have a view?

Please email the branch or post a message on our BLOG.

Pensions BLOG update 15 January 2007

Barnet UNISON sent out last week the latest update from UNISON HQ.

I am attaching a briefing on negotiations from Glenn Kelly Local Government NEC member.

Report from Special Service Group Executive held on 10th January

On Wednesday 10th January the local government executive voted (16-5) to accept a proposal from the leadership to give the government yet more time, to come up with the goods, before deciding whether to launch the strike ballot or not. This is despite the fact that no one argued that we are near reaching a good deal and they recognised that some of the proposals have got worse since 23rd November.

We now have to await the outcome of talks and a decision on balloting is now postponed until the 8th February. This means that the earliest date a strike ballot would start is 8th March with a strike on 26th April at the earliest. Despite the fact that the government are still intent on laying the regulations by the 10th of March so they will become law on the 1st April 2007.

If it were the case that the government’s draft regulations were clearly making concessions to us, this may have been a reasonable tactic but the truth is that the current proposals are not a step forwards and in parts things are getting worse.

We should be exerting as much pressure as possible now to force more from the government and be ready to strike if they don’t back down. That is why I proposed we move to a ballot now and not wait any longer.

After the government minister made his announcement on the 23rd of November, Jean Geldart (elected head of local government) wrote, “Chris Tansley (Vice Chair) and I have had a discussion about where the government proposals leave us, particularly over protection but also the contribution increases and unless anything changes before now and the 4th December we are minded to propose that Unison should ballot for strike action”. If that were the case then we have the right to ask what has changed in the last five weeks of negotiations, have things moved in our direction or not, are we winning, losing or standing still?

Take a look at what is now proposed on the key issues and judge for yourself.

Protection of the 85yr rule

The truth is we have not secured a single extra days protection than was on offer on 23rd November.

So that anyone under the age of 50 (who would meet 85yr rule) will have to accept losing the right to retire at 60 or face a massive cut in their pension and they will be asked to pay more for this privilege (if they earn £16,000 a year or more).

The new Unison bulletin graphically demonstrates what this will mean.

For instance a 45yr old member with 15yrs existing service earning £20,000 a year will lose a £1000 a year in pension or £11k in lump sum, if they want to retire at 60. They will also have pay £60 more in pension contributions.

In order to get the same benefit, as they are entitled to now, they would have to work an extra two years!

A 35yr old member with 15yrs existing service earning £20,000 a year will lose a £1500 a year in pension or £20k in lump if they want to retire at 60. They will also have to pay £60 a year more in pension contributions.

If they want to get what they get now they would have to work an extra two and half years.

These examples show that even with the benefit of the 1/60th scheme tens of thousands of our members will be significantly worse off.

Some may say that not all members would meet the 85yr rule criteria, which is true, but UNISON previously produced figure showing that over 60% of women members of the scheme and 70% of men would meet the 85yr rule requirements so will lose out.

Even a member who doesn’t qualify for the 85yr rule would be no better off if those chose to go at 60. But would have to pay more and have worse rights in relation to redundancy act.

We should not forget that every health worker, teacher and civil servant has retained their right to retire at 60 without loss. If its good enough for them then its good enough for us.

Contribution rates

They are exactly the same as was stated on 23rd Nov, Effectively anyone earning £16k a year or more will pay more.

There is no protection for those manual workers on the existing 5% rate and they will have to pay the higher rates.

In fact the position is now worse than stated in November. Those part time low paid members who thought that they’d get a small reduction will face an actual increase as the UNISON bulletin points out.

Under the current proposals those who are part time will have contributions calculated on a formula based on whole time equivalent pay and then pro rata. For example, if someone worked half time (in a post paying £24k for a full time post holder) so there earnings were £12,000 their contribution would not be 5.5% on the whole amount but 5.5% on one half of there pay i.e. £6,000 and 7.5% on the other £6,000.

In this case they would end up paying more than they do now so the very people who were supposed to gain from the lower contribution rate will end up paying more. (8% more in this example).

Redundancy

Currently if you are made redundant and are 50 or over, your pension is paid as of right and cannot be refused or reduced for early payment. In fact in many boroughs members get added years.

After 2010 the age you can take your pension in these circumstances will now rise to 55yrs. (immediately for new members joining the scheme).

As if this were not bad enough under the new proposals, If you’re made redundant or leave for efficiency reasons after 1st April 2008, the employer will have the right to refuse to release your pension.

Even if they agree to let you have your pension, the employer will be legally bound to consider reducing your pension by an early retirement factor for early payment.

How many of us would be confident that their employers, if given the chance to save even more money when making redundancies wont grab it with both hands.

These proposals have never even been raised with the unions before and are a sign that the government is taking the P*%@ out of us.

This proposal alone could affect more people that the attack on the 85year rule.

Ill health proposals
This is an area where there is some improvement, particulary for those members who are too ill to work, but cant prove that they will be unfit until 65 and at the moment get no pension. (Often stress depression cases).

However you will now have to show that you are unfit for “any gainful employment” and not just in local government, as opposed to the current position of being unfit for your job or a comparable post.

Future Risk sharing
The government wants a built in process every three years that any increased costs to the scheme will be shared.

In the health service a deal has been struck which means that any additional costs in the scheme after 2008 will be met entirely by members of the scheme. I.e. their contribution rates could go up again or they could lose some of their existing benefits.

This is potentially a recipe for the government and the employer to come back for even more attacks every three years.

It is vital that all members know what is still at risk and that all sides of the union are still saying that if there are not enough concessions by the 7th February then the strike ballot is on.
Glenn Kelly
Local Government NEC member

Pensions Latest

NEWSLETTER 47 11 DECEMBER 2006

ONE WEEK TO CHANGE THOSE REGULATIONS! PLUS…INFORMATION ON GOVERNANCE AND DISCRETIONARY PAYMENTS


LAST DAYS TO CHANGE THE REGULATIONS – KEEP UP THE PRESSURE

Well done to those of you who have already contacted your MP’s – We know that the message is getting through - with responses from Boris Johnson to Jack Straw! But with one week to go before the draft Regulations appear, we have to continue to lobby hard. If you haven’t yet contacted your MP, please try and speak to him/her before Thursday when we expect the draft Regulations to be laid.

We must use these last days to persuade Phil Woolas to resolve this dispute.

So please make an appointment now to visit your MP in his/her constituency office or surgery

As a reminder - we need your MP to……

Persuade Phil Woolas to use his powers to amend his proposals for the ‘new look’ LGPS. It is within his power as LGPS Regulator to resolve this dispute.

Tell him/her that UNISON – and other trade union members – are entitled to a fair deal and equal treatment with other public sector pension scheme members.

This means …..

Better protection for existing members - with Scotland getting protection to 2020 and Northern Ireland set to go further, there is clearly no legal barrier to extending protection

A fair ill health retirement scheme – with numbers of ill health retirements dropping rapidly, there is no justification for hitting the most vulnerable members of staff in this way

Improved benefits - such as the 1/60 accumulation rate for existing protected members as well as new ones – no two tier system

No increase in the employee contribution rate to pay for a worse scheme, with lower employer contributions. ( The current proposals are for an average increase of 0.3% for employees and a drop of 0.3% for employers)

Better early retirement reduction factors – the current factors are far too punitive compared to other schemes

Remember: The cost of this is well within the 50% of savings from the deletion of the 85 year rule and the 25% commutation rate, combined with savings employers will start to make now from new employees joining a scheme without the 85 Rule and with the 25% lump sum commutation provision. Council Tax will not need to go up and the employers will save year on year as new members join.

Redundancy – LGPS Regulations

The Regulations replacing the Local Government Discretionary Payments Regulations (DPR) have now been laid. The DCLG has not heeded our legal arguments and has removed the power of employers to award up to ten added years. Under the new Regulations, the ceiling on lump sum payments on redundancy has increased from 66 to 104 weeks if compensation is paid under the DPR. The DCLG draws attention to the fact that employers can still award up to 6 2/3 added years under Regulation 52 of the LGPS. Our legal advice is that it is perfectly legal for authorities to continue to award added years under this Regulation to those made redundant.

The DCLG has agreed to improve the transitional protection so that added years are still allowed under the DPR for those who leave on or before the 1 April 2007. The power to award up to 104 weeks has been backdated to 1 October 2006.

The intention of these changes is not to cut costs. The DCLG explanatory memorandum to the new regulations states that there is ‘no reason to suppose that that implementation would lead employers to change their overall compensation budgets’.

A monitoring group has been set up by the DCLG to see what further changes should be made. UNISON has pointed out that many authorities are already using the change in the Regulations as an excuse to worsen their policies on compensating redundancy.

Department of Work and Pensions amendment to the Age Regulations

Many employers will try to use the Age Regulations as an excuse not to award added years altogether. However, the Department of Work and Pensions has just laid the amendments that UNISON pushed for. (Their intention is to exempt those made redundant from the Age Regulations.) The full text of the amendment is below

Our legal advice is that the amendments should allow employers to continue to award added years. This means the employer should no longer be able to hide behind the Age Regulations if they want to worsen redundancy provision.

Section 13 B of the Employment Equality (Age) (Amendment No 2) Regulations 2006

(1) A minimum age for any member of a scheme for payment of or entitlement to a particular age related benefit on the grounds of redundancy where it is enhanced in accordance with sub-paragraph (2) and paid either with or without consent (whether of an employer, the trustees or managers of the scheme or otherwise).

(2) The enhancement of any age related benefit payable to or in respect of a member on the grounds of redundancy where the enhancement is calculated in one or more of the following ways:

(a) by reference to the years of prospective pensionable service a member would have completed if he had remained in pensionable service until normal pension age;
(b) by reference to a fixed number of years of prospective pensionable service;
(c) by making an actuarial reduction which is smaller than if early retirement had been on grounds to which paragraph 12 applied; or
(d) by not making any actuarial reduction for early retirement.

(3) Sub-paragraph (1) shall also apply to different minimum ages for different groups or categories of members..

Branches are urged to continue to advise Glyn Jenkins head of UNISON’s Pensions Unit where the changes are being used by employers to stop them from awarding adequate compensation.

Who Runs the LGPS?

Phil Woolas, the DCLG Minister, has announced details of the Government's reform of the LGPS governance arrangements. For the first time in the history of the scheme, trade union representation will be enshrined in the management of investments and administration. Administering authorities will be required to establish, at a minimum, an advisory panel to the main council committee and give the representatives voting rights. Further details will be circulated. The proposed governance arrangements will be included in the draft Regulations to be released shortly.

“Yo ho ho!......Season of goodwill” - A Christmas Carol Fremantle version

Scrooge
…not if you are working for Fremantle. Last weekend our UNISON Fremantle workers received a letter through the post, unfortunately it was not a christmas card. It was a letter from Fremantle giving them an ultimatum (sign by the 31 December 2006) to sign away their terms and conditions in exchange for poverty wages, and before Fremantle complain and boy do they like to complain……£7.05 is the acknowledged living wage target for the GLA and decent employers. Now there is a challenge!

Yes there there has been a lot of bad feeling since Fremantle first approached UNISON with these draconian proposals , but sending down their managers to all the settings this week is not helping matters. Indeed the resolve of our members to resist their threats is quite humbling.

I am sure Fremantle thought that by issuing the new contracts just before Christmas our members would just crack and sign away their employment rights.

Well Fremantle put away the champagne…..our members are not giving up just yet. We never asked you to take up the contract, if you got the sums wrong when you bid for this contract don’t take it out on our members. If you have an issue take up with the Council,... they signed the contract.

Just in case you hadn’t noticed…you are not just dealing with Barnet UNISON… we belong to a National union and word is spreading of your actions...

But to be fair to Fremantle this is not just about them….the problem of attacking public services is being felt across the public services in health,higher education, further education, energy. It is good to see that our union along with the TUC are organising an event to highlight these attacks on 23 January 2007. It will be good to see UNISON branches across all service groups standing side by side on this issue.

But apart from politicians who live in their own peter pan world…..who is actually seeing the benefit from this outsourcing?

In the past the unions were often attacked for being too dogmatic afraid of change. Yet the “privatisation is best” dogma being promoted by this government is being seriously exposed as contracts are being cancelled as services fail to deliver. It is important for UNISON members paying contributions to the Labour Party are aware that there is a Labour politician John McDonnell who has thrown his hat into the ring to challenge Gordon Brown. I suggest UNISON members have a look at what he is proposing....he supports UNISON policies something a lot of Labour MPs seem to be ignoring. He needs enough Labour MPs to officially challenge but if he does it will certainly mean issues that fundamentally affect UNISON members both at work and at home will be up for debate within the Labour party.......and he is coming to our Fremantle workers Public meeting on 16 January 2007.

Fremantle, do you really believe that by cutting terms and conditions you will generate good quality services? Fremantle we know you are not a London based organsiation but can you really believe that it is possible for staff to work and live in London on the terms and conditions that you are proposing?

So, while we send our members good wishes and promise to stand side by side with them…..please send messages of support to the Fremantle workers to john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk or turn up at our public meeting at Hendon Town Hall on 16 January 2007 for 7 pm