It’s been 15 months since this pay claim was submitted. That’s 15 months of pressure, persistence, and since January members mobilising for more than the 4% that was on offer.
Through two ballots and a determined campaign, you’ve forced this issue onto the national stage where it belongs. Talks over the past two weeks have been very intense and have escalated to the highest levels, including the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Timpson and last week, with the TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak.
But despite that pressure, the Treasury has drawn a hard line. Our counteroffer of 8% to the 6% offer was rejected outright. 6% represents the definitive limit by way of these negotiations.
So, this is where things stand.
An electronic ballot will open on Friday 27 March – our third ballot in this campaign – asking you whether you accept or reject the offer.
Have we backed down?
No.
We have pushed negotiations as far as they will go and we have done that on the back of your strength as members.
The reality is that despite Unison and GMB recommending that their members accept the offer, we know the spectrum of opinion and feeling in our membership.
Some members are clear that they refuse to accept 6%. Others want to secure what’s been won and avoid further uncertainty.
Both positions are real, and should be respected amongst our membership but both are being heard. That’s why your Probation Negotiating Committee agreed that this offer should be put to our members.
Our job now is to make sure you have the facts and to stand behind you in what comes next.
What your vote means
We’ll be holding all-member meetings to answer questions and talk through the detail of the revised offer before the ballot closes.
In straightforward terms:
- If members vote to accept
The employer has promised to implement the award, including backpay, in May’s salary. We would then regroup and begin work on the 2026–27 pay claim building on the momentum you’ve already created. - If members vote to reject
Ballot results may not be enough to see a reopening of negotiations this time. We are likely looking at a prolonged and sustained campaign of industrial action before the government even considers shifting its position.
The other unions
Unison and GMB members will also be balloted. Their votes will also influence the outcome of whether the pay award is implemented or the fight continues.
Where we go from here
- Look out for your ballot
- Join a member meeting and ask questions
- Use your vote
This campaign has already shown what probation staff can do when they stand together. Nothing about this moment changes that.
You’ve brought us this far. What happens next is in your hands and we will stand with you, whichever path you choose.
33 responses
If members reject ‘We are likely looking at a prolonged and sustained campaign of industrial action before the government even considers shifting its position.’
Can any of us afford to say no at this point? This isn’t the rise we were hoping for, but it puts us in good stead for the next pay deal with a healthy amount of back pay in May to pay those ever-rising petrol and mortgage rates…
The offer of 6% came round so quickly after 4% was rejected, that it was clear there was room to push. I am unsure if there is room to push on 6%… That being said, we now have fire in our bellies for next year to not just take things lying down!
” 6% represents the definitive limit by way of these negotiations” – why is the union accepting this is the definitive limit when prior to the new offer the unions were holding the stance that just 2% less than this new offer was not acceptable at all?
I get that people want more and I’m not disputing the fact we deserve it. But as someone at the very bottom of the banding, who has a mortgage on my own, I do honestly wish we’d just accept this pay rise and move on so I can get money I’ve been owed for a long time. My pay hasn’t gone up to match inflation, I am really struggling financially. If this one gets rejected I’ll be devastated. The idea of the offer being reduced back to the 3% standard is incredibly unsettling. Sorry to not be rallying behind rejection like so many seem to be, but I’m scraping by.
Aldi just announced hourly pay of £18.23. please have a think about that, respect yourself and decline this insulting offer. Enough is enough. If you believe things will get better for the 26/27 increase you haven’t been in the service long enough.
Stay strong and get what we deserve.
for those of us at the top of the scale we have been getting a pay cut for the last few years so need to hold out for better increases as we don’t get any CBF renumeration
I don’t believe it is a fair offer when the govt quite willingly shells out cash all over the place, however I doubt we will do better now.
With 6% and lower pension contributions we’ll be better off on a month to month basis and I believe we’ll be better off for the fight still to come for 2026/2027. I would rather take this now and slam the employer moving forward.
Personally and I know this of my colleagues as well, our good will is done, and this back pay will fix nothing! We’re so angry at the attitude of the higher ups and the CBF crap they have pulled, we’ll make sure the employer feels a fraction of our pain that they’ve caused over this last year by working to rule in every sense. This fight is far from over.
When a 12% pay claim has been costed out and justified it is repressible for a Union to then recommend acceptance of 1/2 that amount. I am glad that NAPO at least are putting this out with nill recommendation (effectively) Unison and GMB should be ashamed of themselves. As for NAPO the momentum is clearly there, to settle for 6 % shows weakness to the employer and while this may well be the best position reachable through negotiation this is certainly not the end of the process and industrial action needs to now be considered. With the cap on the 26/27 civil service pay remit being most likely 2.5% this is what next years offer will look like and we will be back in the same position for another 15 months for this years deal. Bite the bullet now and take the action that is necessary to demonstrate that enough is enough and we will not roll over and accept such a paltry and insulting pay offer. All the rubbish that is pushed down our throats about “Current climate” and the such like is an age old tactic and there is never a point in time where this rhetoric wont be pushed, I for one sincerely hope this insult is rejected and a mandate for industrial action can be obtained, the time is now.
PRISON GET MORE AGAIN!
Prison have just been awarded 3.5%, up from 2% for 26/27 as of a post published today.
Is this why they could suddenly find an additional 2% for us? Wtaf.
As a band 3, their starting point is now higher than maximum
The last 3 Prison awards have been:
10% = 24/25
4% = 25/26
3.5% = 26/27
Total = 17.5%
Probation were under that horrendous 3 year pay deal, and have come no where near close to this as we’re meant to be one service, this is an absolute joke.
Whilst I don’t disagree on what they have been awarded, their work loads are going down and all the work is shunted to Probation and we continue to be violated and stuck at every turn.
I am sick of it, perhaps it is time to just get out and let this all burn down, it’s unmanageable and so unfair.
“We have pushed negotiations as far as they will go.”
No — that’s not an accurate reflection of how negotiations work. GMB recommended accepting 4%, and Unison was relatively quiet. What we need now is a clear position from Napo.
Is 6% also considered an insult? What is Napo’s actual recommendation to members?
If HMPPS has already moved from 4% to 6%, that demonstrates there is room for further movement. Why, then, is 12% — which still falls well short of what pay restoration would require — being treated as unrealistic?
Additionally, the conditions being attached by HMPPS — linking pay to CBF, AI, and future changes that members have not agreed to — should not form part of a pay offer.
So I’ll ask again: what exactly has been “negotiated”? And is there another 6% minimum for 2026/2027?
And that’s quite a loaded title and introduction.
Framing it as “Is 6% the end? That’s your decision” shifts responsibility onto members without offering a clear recommendation or assessment. It presents the situation as though negotiations have naturally reached their limit, when movement from 4% to 6% clearly shows there is still room to go further.
After 15 months, members should be given clear direction — not a narrative that subtly nudges toward acceptance while avoiding a position.
If this is genuinely about member choice, then be explicit: is 6% acceptable, or not? Without that clarity, this feels less like neutrality and more like steering the outcome toward acceptance.
Do your job Napo !!!!
Napo is us – the members. It’s our job now to decide whether this is acceptable or not. Our job to decide whether we can afford and have the stomach for sustained industrial action.
Those who you say should do their job have done their job – they’ve said here is the best offer we can get to you without industrial action. I am pleased that there isn’t someone telling me that 6% is one thing or another, because it isn’t that simple and we shouldn’t pretend that it is.
My view is 6% is an improved offer. considering the time (15 Months) it took to reach this point and the likelihood of further delay if rejected, I think we take and focus on the next move 2026 to 2027 pay talking point. Bills are rising up, not going down.
I would like to know more about the ‘conditions’ around work reform and future pay negotiations before I decide whether to accept the 6%.
My cynical brain is telling me that they knew 4% would not be accepted and, by now offering 6% they can push through these conditions which we otherwise wouldn’t accept
I would like to highlight the Home Offices recent 3 year pay award with a 25/26 6% headline – 26/27 @ 5.5% and 27/28 @ ~4%
The CS pay remit for 26/27 is expected to be 2.5% with any pay expected to come from existing budgets.
6% now and possibly 2.5% next is just woefully inadequate. 4.25% per year average is just not good enough.
I will be voting to reject, and encourage others to review the other CS Pay Awards granted. This is the strongest position we have been in, in years. With the new < 12month prison being suspended, I’m sure HMPPS would need to avoid any industrial action.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
It’s worth looking into the home office offer (think the Unions are still voting on it) more – they’ve lost annual leave, sick pay and for some people london allowance to get those figures. I’m not sure I’d be voting for that…
I’ve been against accepting up untill this point, but I think accept 6% and build the momentum for next year!
I voted NO because 6% doesn’t meaningfully improve things for lower‑paid staff. Admin wages have fallen behind inflation, retail wages, and often barely make the minimum wage mark. Our responsibilities deserve better than a pay rise that still leaves us barely above the legal minimum.
Probation are being treated as outliers, third class citizens in the MOJ, we are being played time and time again. The 6% comes with conditions and strings- it is all within touching distance and the employers need us on side this summer more than anything.
Look at the landscape we are in; why do Probation have to go through CBF in order to get an increment? Pay progression is something others in the MOJ are entitled to just by doing their jobs-having worked for a whole year for an employer with no performance concerns.
I sit with prison staff who’s pay deal is already settled for 26-27, lots of happy chat around me. It happens before the 1st April every year, no questions asked. Then there is me having to make a decision on industrial action 12 months after the negotiations should have been done and dusted.
Please also consider band 4 Probation staff are on the same amount of money as Police constables in London, we used to have parity with Police Inspectors. “Metropolitan Police constables in London have a high starting salary of around £42,210 (including allowances), which increases annually to over £59,994 after five years”.
I can’t lean over any lower without ending up on my knees for this employer- No pride left at all due to systematic destruction of the profession. No chance of me saying yes to the pay deal- Too much history of being treated disrespectfully.
In terms of taking the deal and fight after- there is the well known mantra “past behaviour informs future behaviour”. 26-27 pay deal is not going to be any different. The CPOs performance tells you everything. At some point enough has to be enough.
Very well said
So are we getting the 6% backdated and moving up a pay point as per CBF? Because I’ve been qualified 3 years now and still only on point 2
I am employed as a PSO (old money) and currently working in RED status, I have voted to reject the 6% offer.
Irrespective of whether the latest offer is accepted or not, I plead with colleagues of all grades to only work the hours you are contracted to work. I fully understand the reason additional hours are worked, evenings, weekends and Bank Holidays. However, we really need to channel our energy in focusing the mind of the employer in relation to high workloads and all the negatives that follow, including encroaching on quality time as we feel obliged who work to meet a deadline!
I am employed as a PSO (old money) and currently working in RED status, I have voted to reject the 6% offer.
Irrespective of whether the latest offer is accepted or not, I plead with colleagues of all grades to only work the hours you are contracted to work. I fully understand the reason additional hours are worked, evenings, weekends and Bank Holidays. However, we really need to channel our energy in focusing the mind of the employer in relation to high workloads and all the negatives that follow, including encroaching on quality time as we feel obliged who work to meet a deadline!
Aldi just announced hourly pay of £18.23. please have a think about that, respect yourself and decline this insulting offer. Enough is enough. If you believe things will get better for the 26/27 increase you haven’t been in the service long enough.
Stay strong and get what we deserve.
I am new to the service and NAPO so am appalled that you are still negotiating the previous years pay deal when you should be negotiating this years. Despite back pay this really is not good enough. The Probation service are carrying the prison system in terms of over-crowding. Sentencing is putting fewer people into prison and under our remit due to the lack of space which means we are dealing with higher risk to the public. If we are protecting the public then we need to get recompense for this. My gut feel is that if this deal is accepted they will then push back for this years pay offer saying how well we did last year when clearly people are struggling to keep afloat. I would like some assurances that if we accepted 6% for 2024/25 we would get the same for 25/26 and not be pushed back with 2.5% but not a multiple year deal. They can find the money for Junior Doctors, Police and others who have had their pay held back for years. If we cannot get those assurances for next year we should hold out for more now as our ‘one bite at the cherry’.
As it is I am at the bottom of the salary band but find that I am dealing with medium/high risk POP’s and paid a salary band less than others in the service for this increased personal risk.
Its not just about the % I need to know if the deal means we also progress up a pay point as we should have last time! Its a matter of principle as well as pay. The last deal beneffitted those at the top of their pay band and new starters much more than anybody in the middle.
Why should someone that’s been working hard for 3 years on the last paydeal be on the same pay as a new starter because they arent allowed to go up a paypoint. The paypoint reflects the learning and development over that 5 years- after that its assumed you know your craft and at that point years in service doesn;t necessarily equate to how hard you work compared with others.
I think there is more that the employer can offer as they came back with the increase to 6% very quickly after the last vote. I think they are trying to get away with offering the lowest they can, obviously, but if we are strong i m sure they will increase the offer. Will we get the 12% we all know we deserve, i doubt it, but maybe 8% or even 10% if the voting makes our position clear and strong.
Probation Service Officers and Probation Officers have always been treated like “soft soaps” because they are willing to accept almost anything that the government offers. 6% is still, in my opinion, way short of what we deserve. Now that the government has offered it I can guarantee majority of my colleagues will accept it. They are looking at the short term gain rather than the long term benefits. They are looking at the amount of money that they will get in their pay-packet which will be back paid from last year, not remembering that it will still be taxed. The amount received will still be minimal and our monthly salary will still be inadequate. That is why we are treated like plebs and will always be treated this way because of our willingness to grab the carrot that is dangled in front of us. I will be voting to reject this measly offer even though I know my vote will go in vain.
The power of industrial action, Resident doctors have experienced a 29% pay rise over the last three years. Enough is enough, lets stand together and hold the Gov to account!
I have rejected this insulting offer. Please be strong and do the same. We deserve more and we deserve better.
NAPO – What is happening about the offer for this month (this year)? We need faith and confidence that negotiations are starting immediately to avoid us having to wait another year or more for this years?
75.2% accepted the offer??? Saddened and shocked at this. Yet again we have been failed and majority allowed this to happen. So disappointed. NAPO I really hope you are now going to secure us the offer in a timely manner for 26/27 which is due this month????