BUSINESS AS USUAL

The media this week has been full of post-election analysis, blame attribution on a grand scale, leadership jostling and much self-introspection by Labour and Trade Union leaders about where and why, and for that matter how, it all went wrong.

Seemingly disastrous setbacks are part and parcel of political and real life but its’ usually the politicos who fare better with the consequences as ordinary people go about their daily routine of work, or trying to find work and supporting their families.

Two observations: given that it is 23 years since the Tories last formed a majority government then the laws of average alone meant that they were due to win an election sometime. Secondly, their 12 seat majority is not one that will escape serious tests and possible calamities over the next year or two let alone five. Unions need to get up and move on and continue to do what we have done on behalf of working people for over a century. We will do so despite the expected assaults on our ability to defend our members and the introduction of percentage thresholds for industrial action or engagement in ballots  that very few MP’s could match in terms of their electoral mandate.

A warm welcome from the POA as usual

That message was at the core of my address to the Prison Officers Association Conference in Southport this week where I offered your fraternal greetings to a group of workers who have much in common with our members, in that they too have suffered the severe consequences of the departed Coalitions austerity measures and obsession with outsourcing. Their problems around prison overcrowding, violence among clients and that regularly inflicted upon their hard pressed members are right up there in terms of the demoralisation factor.  I was heartened to receive such a warm reception to what I had to say about finding common cause on those issues involving both our unions member’s across the prison and probation estate.

Two new faces

Out early next morning on the first train out of Southport for our first Officers and Officials (O&O) meeting since the election. Here we considered among other things, the implications of having two new Justice Ministers in the form of Michael Gove and Dominic Raab. It appears that Andrew Selous is staying in his current position.

As you would expect I have written to the new incumbents to wish them well in their roles, enclosing a copy of our pre-election manifesto ‘wishlist ‘ that is designed to be acted upon by whichever party came out on top. We look for positive engagement based on what we see across the table rather than reputation, but will not baulk at telling Mr Gove how it is out there in Probation and Cafcass.

Get ‘repping’…we have the means to help you!

Among the many issues of urgency in front of us such as: preparing to launch our direct debit switchover campaign, our pursuit of Sodexo and the MoJ over the honouring of the Early Redundancy Terms, the threat to workplace locations in probation and the FCS, the ongoing chaos in CRC’s and the NPS, the Shared Services pay problems and responding to the scores of professional instructions that are being churned out by NOMS, is a shortage in some NPS areas or CRC’s of Napo Reps.

We recently issued a circular to Branches BR39 /2015 asking for information about who you are and where the gaps are so that we can review the use of our resources and consider how we can best respond. Despite the squeeze on facilities time we have much that we can offer to aspiring representatives by way of training and practical support so please step forward and consider becoming a workplace rep, it’s what will help to make us stronger in the difficult times ahead. Anyone who is interested is invited to give me a call and discuss.

Napo membership - on the up again

Recent reports to the NEC and the O&O have shown that we are starting to stem the losses of members that have mainly been due to people having left the Probation or Family Court Service within the last 18 months.  As well as ‘rejoiner’s’ we are seeing signs that more and more staff in NPS/CRC’s/CAFCASS are seeing the value of trade union membership and Napo in particular.

This is a promising trend but we will not allow ourselves to be complacent. We need our existing members to help us carry the ancient but still vitally important message that unity equals strength; most especially in the uncertain world of work that we all inhabit.