Ten months since Napo submitted the probation pay claim, members have still not received a formal offer. In this episode, Ben and Ian break down what’s really going on behind the scenes. From stalled talks with government to constant pressure from Napo at every level. They tackle the big member questions head-on: Why has nothing been put on the table? Is government deliberately delaying? What is Napo actually doing about it? And what happens next after the near-miss ballot result? This is a frank, important update on pay, workloads and the fight to secure the fair deal probation staff deserve.
Key Points
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Pay claim submitted in January and still no formal offer from employer
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New Lord Chancellor and leadership changes but zero engagement with Napo so far
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Members left waiting as Christmas approaches seen as disrespectful and maybe a ploy to wear members down
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Ballot fell just short but support for action was huge despite anti-trade union laws making voting more complicated than it should
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Napo continues constant organising, lobbying and workload negotiations
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Next ballot preparation already underway
7 responses
There is to much rhetoric and not enough attention. Why do we have the same issue every single year, to not even have the Employer negotiating 34 years I have experienced the same issues. When teachers or nurses want a pay rise its all over the media, but we are silent. It is time to up the anti and force MP and the treasury to understand that the employees have a right to a fair pay deal, especially given the ongoing concerns with risk, NAO report and constant change. Visibility should be the key and something needs to change.
Latest National Audit Office reports shows that the probation service was officially thought to need an extra 3,150 staff to be able to deliver a basic standard of sentence management. The Offender Management Statistics quarterly shows an increasing demand on probation staff with the overall number of people under probation supervision on 30 June at 244,209, a 2% increase on the same period last year. The whole prison early release scheme could not happen without the co-operation, hard-work, flexibility and good will of probation staff. Yet despite this we have still not received a pay offer. We are in a very strong postion to negotiate with government and need to be a lot more proactive in promoting our case both with government and across the wider media, including the option of industrial action if required.
This has gone on far too long. The biggest issue is inadequate pay.
What figures are being discussed?
More transparency and urgency is needed!
A minimum 20% increase to every pay band is required.
Thank you Ben and Ian for clarification on pay. I think members are getting confused on what and how things are progressing. Hopefully by listening to this podcast they will understand it is the Employer who is stalling and not moving forward.
If Junior Doctors can get a 28% pay rise and then threaten to strike for another 20% this would give you an idea as to how much less we are being paid compared to 2008. We are in a cost of living crisis and many PoP’s who I work with earn more than me on benefit. For a Profession such as ours with the skills and expertise it requires amounts to a disgrace.
this represents a total disrespect for probation staff and the work that they do. The role of a prison officer is quite clear and receives much media attention. The role of a probation officer is rarely understood other than by those who work in the profession or those who have personal experience of probation by being in the criminal justice system themselves. The government is not prepared to promote the work of the probation service and, I feel, hope that we will simply “go away” and get to the point where we accept an unacceptable pay offer just because it is actually a pay offer. Other public sector workers have significant media attention and so are supported in their claims for 20% for example. Neither the government nor the media are willing to give such strength to our plight to earn a wage that is proportionate to the responsibilities we have. NAPO we need another ballot given the strength of feeling of staff at this point
I am of the same opinions I’ve been in service 27 years and its like fighting for scraps off a table. I’m atthe point of leaving I sized things up and a cleaner is now only a fraction behind my salary full time! So I question why should I bother to continuously work longer hours which impacts my home life to keep the public safe with little or no recognition. Its a joke how we arre treated , we are victims in an abusive relationship.