Is a long time; or so the adage goes, but how quick are the cynics to stab their own in the back just days after Jeremy Corbyn is elected by a resounding majority of his party's members?
Typically, the media today seemed more concerned about Jeremy Corbyn choosing to not sing the national anthem at the Battle of Britain memorial service than what he said in his speech to Congress yesterday.
News came through this week on the progress of the OM review. In a letter to the Trade Unions NOMS Chief Executive Michael Spurr outlined five key principles which underpin his aim to achieve improvements to the current system.
In the formal invitation to consultation, we have been told that the review is based on the views of HMI Prisons and Probation, over 550 employees and partners, including a wide range of prison Governors and staff, (NPS) managers and practitioners and service providers.
The key principles contained in the letter are:
I read the blog posting from Cafcass Chief Anthony Douglas the other day http://www.cafcass.gov.uk/blog/posts/2015/august/25th/most-social-workers-are-haunted-by-mistakes-but-feeding-frenzies-help-no-one.aspx which talked about the feeding frenzy that often follows news of another death of a child or gaps in evidence to the court which the media is oft to seize upon without knowing all of the facts.
As we reported to yesterday’s meeting of Sodexo Representatives, we have experienced yet another fruitless week at the coalface in which we held nearly two full days of talks with senior Sodexo management about the voluntary redundancy scheme following a directive by the NNC Joint Secretaries to get back around the table.
At the end of another full on week, and as reported in BR 88-2015, the probation unions have now secured further talks with Sodexo on their early severance scheme. The discussions will take place this Monday and Tuesday have come about as a result of a meeting between the NNC Joint Secretaries the parties, and the MOJ contract compliance directorate.
If you are Napo member in any of the six Sodexo owned CRC’s you should have by now had a circular from Napo, together with an indicative ballot paper that you can send freepost or by e-mail to Chivalry Road (sodexooffer@napo.org.uk)
As the unions finalise our plans to consult members in the Sodexo CRC's over the severance offer, here is a message passed to me by a colleague from a senior manager who understandably wants their identity protected.
Given the way in which this company have conducted themselves in their dealings with the unions over the last month or so, it's not a great surprise that they have refused to improve the severance scheme offer that they eventually published to staff in their CRC's on the 16th July.
