Don’t fall for the employer’s propaganda

Every time a union ballots for industrial action, you can bet the employer will try to muddy the waters. This isn’t new, but it’s exactly why we need to call out their spin when we see it.

Members may have spotted the recent HMPPS Intranet “update” on probation pay. Let’s be clear: they know you are voting and are now in damage control mode.

Our pay claim went in back in January. Negotiations wrapped up at the end of June. Our last conversation with ministers was weeks ago. Since then… silence. No offer. No movement. Nothing but empty words.

The update tries to dress up the late payment of Competency Based Framework (CBF) progression as some kind of victory. The truth is this should have been paid in April. We agreed this with them back in 2018. They delayed it. We’re still in dispute over it.

Paying it now might just be a calculated move to soften you up for a lowball pay offer or to take the wind out of our ballot campaign.

The statement then ends with a “thank you” for your professionalism and dedication. Nice words. But they don’t pay your rent, keep food on the table, or make workloads manageable. If they really wanted to thank you, they’d put a decent pay rise on the table and tackle the impossible caseloads that are driving staff to burnout.

This intranet piece isn’t an update. It’s propaganda. It’s designed to make you feel just enough gratitude to lower your guard and dampen turnout.

Don’t let it work. Vote YES to strike action. Vote YES to action short of strike. Show them you’re not buying the spin.