UNISON members at Barnet Homes and Your Choice Barnet will strike for 24 hours on Tuesday 27 October. Bin crews could follow before Christmas in a pay row.

Housing and care workers at The Barnet Group will strike for 24 hours on Tuesday 27 October. It is the first strike day UNISON has called in the dispute.

The Barnet Group is a company wholly owned by Barnet Council. Its staff work for Barnet Homes, which runs housing services, and Your Choice Barnet, which provides social care and support. The union named the date in a post to members dated 15 October.

A second dispute is close behind. UNISON has told the council it wants a strike ballot of depot workers over holiday pay. That ballot is expected to start in early November, with possible action just before Christmas.

The vote

UNISON announced the result on 13 October. Of the members who voted, 88% backed strike action, on a 55% turnout. The law requires a turnout of at least 50%. The postal ballot ran from 1 September to 13 October.

The union says The Barnet Group “has refused every part of the claim”. The Barnet Group has published no statement on the dispute. Its news page and Barnet Homes’ news page had nothing on it when we checked on 20 October.

What the workers want

The claim is about parity with people employed directly by the council. UNISON says Barnet Homes and Your Choice Barnet were once council services, and their staff now work on worse terms, often alongside council staff doing similar jobs.

The Barnet Group now, per UNISON What UNISON is asking for
Working week 37.5 hours (40 for repairs staff) 36 hours, as at the council
Annual leave Not stated 31 days
Sick pay, overtime and night rates Below council terms Council terms
Pension Many staff have no access to the council scheme The Local Government Pension Scheme
London Living Wage rise Paid the following April Paid when announced in October

The union also wants national (NJC) pay awards written into contracts, talks on one pay structure, and a joint review of council and Barnet Group policies.

Talks have started, but the strike is still on

UNISON says that since the ballot, the Group Chief Executive has agreed to review three things: the timing of the London Living Wage rise, annual leave and overtime. The union called that “a step forward” that “does not go far enough”.

On 15 October the branch wrote back setting out its points. On pensions it has a fallback. If The Barnet Group will not open the council pension scheme to staff, UNISON wants a higher employer contribution to the existing Legal & General scheme, costed in stages. It also says it will ask the council’s Labour group about funding.

Helen Davies, the branch chair, said: “Nobody wants to strike, but The Barnet Group and Barnet Council have left us no choice.”

UNISON’s general secretary, Andrea Egan, wrote to Barnet’s Labour councillors. She asked them to back “proper negotiations now” and “the funding to make a fair offer possible”.

The union says it will publish picket line details once they are confirmed.

The bin crews’ dispute: a ballot in November

The second dispute is about holiday pay on regular overtime. UNISON says it was underpaid for about twelve years while Capita ran the council’s payroll, and only paid correctly after Liberata took over in 2025. We reported the depot workers’ rejection of the council’s offer in August.

According to UNISON’s 12 October statement:

  • the union registered a formal “Failure to Agree” at a meeting with the council on 9 October
  • it has asked its head office for a lawful strike ballot of depot workers, expected to start in early November
  • members have asked for six years of back pay, half the period they say they were underpaid
  • the council rejected that and said 18 months is its final offer, which it called reasonable and affordable

The union says the council’s view is that even if a legal claim existed, workers could only recover two years.

UNISON warns that “bins and fly-tips could pile up before Christmas”. No strike has been called in this dispute yet. A strike needs the ballot first, and the union must then give the employer notice of any action.

Barnet Council has not published a statement on either dispute that we could find. The council’s website blocks automated reading, so we could not check its news page directly.

What it means for you

  • Barnet Homes tenants and leaseholders: expect housing services, including repairs, to be stretched on Tuesday 27 October. If a repair or appointment is booked for that day, check with Barnet Homes whether it still stands. In an emergency, use its usual emergency repairs route.
  • People who use Your Choice Barnet services, and their families: ask the service directly how cover will work on 27 October. Neither the company nor the council has said yet.
  • Everyone else: bin collections are not affected on 27 October. The depot dispute has not reached a strike ballot. If it does, the earliest action UNISON mentions is just before Christmas. Your normal days are on our bin collection days page.

We will update this story when picket lines, service arrangements or any settlement are announced.

Sources