Will Barnet Council Depot Workers Strike Over Holiday Pay? Barnet 2026

Key Points

• Rejection of Second Offer: Waste, recycling, and street cleansing workers in Barnet have overwhelmingly rejected Barnet Council’s second backpay settlement offer of 18 months, following a previous rejection of a six-month “goodwill payment”.
• Demands for Fair Settlement: UNISON Barnet branch members are requesting six years of backpay—settling “halfway” for a 12-year historical failure—and have offered to accept the total in flexible instalments.
• Deadline Issued: The union has set a final deadline of Friday, 9th October for the local authority to present an improved offer before formally declaring a trade dispute.
• Strike Timeline: If no acceptable agreement is reached, UNISON plans to conduct a formal strike ballot in November, raising the prospect of industrial action and picket lines during December.
• Root Cause of Underpayment: The failure came to light after Barnet Council transferred its payroll provider contract from Capita to Liberata, exposing that overtime holiday pay mandated by legislation 12 years ago had not been processed.
• Contract Management and Political Accountability: Union representatives have questioned whether the council adequately monitored Capita’s contract management under both Conservative and Labour administrations, while council leadership points to complex contract legacies and financial constraints.

Barnet (North London News) September 30, 2026 – Waste, recycling, and street cleansing workers employed at Barnet Council’s depot are standing on the precipice of industrial action after voting overwhelmingly to reject a second backpay offer regarding long-term holiday pay underpayments. As reported by journalist Leïla Davaud of the Barnet Post, the local authority now faces a strict deadline of Friday, 9th October to present a revised financial settlement, or face a formal trade dispute that could lead to widespread disruption across refuse and cleansing services in December.

The escalating dispute stems from systemic payroll failures spanning more than a decade. According to UNISON, the underpayment was uncovered after Barnet Council transitioned its payroll operations away from long-term contractor Capita to a new provider, Liberata. Upon taking over the administration, Liberata introduced a dedicated holiday pay element to workers’ payslips for regular overtime worked. This addition inadvertently revealed that Capita had failed to include overtime calculations in holiday pay for 12 years following the passage of governing legislation.

Following the initial discovery, council staff queried the historic omissions and requested full back payments for the unremitted funds. The local authority initially offered a six-month backpay settlement framed as a “goodwill payment,” citing severe budgetary constraints. This initial proposal was rejected by workers in a consultative ballot held in August.

Why Did Depot Workers Reject Barnet Council’s Second Settlement Offer?

As detailed by Leïla Davaud of the Barnet Post, Barnet Council presented a revised offer of 18 months of backpay on Monday, 21st September. However, in a subsequent week-long consultative ballot that drew a turnout exceeding 90 percent, workers decisively turned down the updated proposal.

Explaining the workforce’s stance, John Burgess, Barnet UNISON branch secretary, stated to Leïla Davaud of the Barnet Post:

“The depot workers never expected to get the full amount they were owed, but they did expect to be treated with dignity.”

Burgess further emphasised the feelings of the affected personnel, noting to the Barnet Post:

“Once again, the workers felt insulted. They ask to be met ‘halfway’, settling for six years of backpay instead of twelve years. They’ve even suggested the amount to be paid over instalments.”

Highlighting that the request is not a demand for additional wages, Burgess stated:

“It’s important to remember that they are not asking the council for more money but to be paid what they worked for, what they are owed.”

What Is the Timeline for Potential Industrial Action in Barnet?

Should Barnet Council fail to submit an acceptable offer by the 9th October deadline, UNISON intends to move straight to a formal dispute registration.

Outlining the anticipated schedule, John Burgess told Leïla Davaud of the Barnet Post that failing to reach a compromise “means that we might be balloting in November, with possible industrial action in December.”

The union maintains that industrial disruption during the busy festive period remains preventable if senior local authority figures intervene directly in negotiations.

How Has Barnet Council and Capita Responded to Contract Criticisms?

The dispute has sparked intense debate regarding political oversight and the management of outsourced private contractors within local government. Unresolved questions remain among depot personnel regarding whether the council had prior knowledge of payroll errors before 2025, whether a comprehensive historic audit has taken place, and whether formal explanations were sought from former contractor Capita.

Addressing contract oversight, John Burgess remarked to the Barnet Post:

“What is very clear is that Barnet Council has not managed the Capita contract over a prolonged period. Under the Conservatives mostly, but also under Labour. Are they too frightened to go to Capita for the money? We need the leader and all councillors to weigh in on this.”

In response to queries regarding its historical handling of local government payroll, a spokesperson for Capita informed the Barnet Post:

“Capita previously delivered payroll services to Barnet Council as a managed service. These services were provided at the direction of the council, in accordance with the council’s policies. Capita adhered to the terms of the contract.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Barnet Council confirmed to the Barnet Post at the time of initial reporting that

“The council is in discussion with Capita about how this situation arose.”

Providing further financial context, Simon Radford, Labour’s cabinet member for finance at Barnet Council, shared his perspective with the Barnet Post:

“Unions’ job is to look after the interests of their workers, and that’s brilliant. But I think context is important. It was because we had a contract that wasn’t particularly effective that we got to this point. Now, we’ve moved towards a new contract with a more effective provider.”

Councillor Radford expanded on the council’s inherited difficulties, stating to the Barnet Post:

“When you have a one-size-fits-all company to do everything, and then don’t manage its performance or you don’t write the contracts well, it all goes to pot. This is why we had a life raft and not a massive luxury yacht when we took over in terms of trying to sort these things out. You never know what’s around the corner. In terms of these legacy issues, we do need to make sure that justice is done. But we also need to make sure that we balance the justice for the past problems so that it doesn’t hamper our ability to provide justice in the future to lots of other people.”

Reaching out directly to affected staff, Councillor Radford added via the Barnet Post:

“I would like to express my empathy for where they are at, the sadness that this situation came to pass and a willingness on behalf of me, and I think probably all my colleagues, that we would like to find a solution.”

Responding to Councillor Radford’s remarks, John Burgess stated to Leïla Davaud of the Barnet Post:

“If Cllr Radford is willing to get involved then we will let him do so because it seems ridiculous that we could have picket lines over Christmas in Barnet. We shouldn’t need to do that and I hope that someone with common sense will say ‘sort this out’.”

Background of the Development

The financial and operational conflict between Barnet Council and its operational depot staff is rooted in European Court of Justice rulings and UK legal precedents regarding the Working Time Regulations 1998. Historically, employers frequently calculated holiday pay based strictly on basic contractual hours, excluding regular overtime, voluntary shifts, and performance-related bonuses. Subsequent binding judicial rulings clarified that statutory holiday pay must reflect normal remuneration, ensuring workers are not financially disincentivised from taking annual leave if they regularly work overtime.

For twelve years, Barnet Council’s outsourced support services were managed under major contract agreements involving Capita. During this period, overtime earnings were omitted from holiday pay calculations for frontline operational staff in waste collection, recycling, and street cleansing—roles where overtime and weekend cover are routinely performed. The transition to Liberata as the council’s new payroll provider brought updated payroll software and compliance structures, instantly highlighting the legacy underpayment. Because local authority budgets across the United Kingdom face stringent fiscal pressures, settling multi-year retroactive pay claims poses severe financial strain on municipal authorities balancing essential public service delivery against accrued legal liabilities.

Prediction: How This Development Can Affect Barnet Residents and Frontline Workers

If Barnet Council and UNISON fail to reach a negotiated compromise prior to the 9th October deadline, the resulting escalation into a formal dispute and a November strike ballot will have immediate consequences for both local workers and the general public across the borough.

Potential Impact on Barnet Residents

• Severe Festive Service Disruption: Should industrial action take place in December, household waste collection, doorstep recycling pickup, and public street sweeping will face major interruptions or total standstills during the busiest period of the year for municipal waste generation.
• Public Health and Environmental Concerns: Uncollected refuse during the holiday period risks creating localized sanitation hazards, overflowing communal bins, and increased street litter across town centres and residential neighborhoods.
• Emergency Reallocation of Local Tax Dollars: A major financial settlement—whether six years of backpay or a negotiated compromise—will require Barnet Council to reallocate funds within its existing operational budget, potentially affecting capital investment or funding for other municipal services.

Potential Impact on Frontline Depot Workers

• Financial Resolution or Loss of Earnings: Securing a multi-year backpay settlement would deliver significant retroactive compensation owed to workers who performed extensive overtime. However, participating in winter strike action would result in loss of daily wages during active picket days.
• Precedent for Broader Local Authority Sector: A successful resolution allowing structured instalment payments could create an operational blueprint for other local government workforces across the UK facing similar historic payroll errors following changes in outsourced administrative contractors.