The news that we have picked up about the future prospects on pay from our trade union engagement meetings, and at what was the most depressing briefing session that I have attended in recent years with the MoJ Permanent Secretary, suggests a rough ride ahead.
NPS members will be as concerned as Officers and Officials about the potential impact of the intended expansion of VISOR vetting as part of E3 phase 2. At the recent Trade Union Engagement Meeting the plan is for all CA, PSO, PO and SPO staff working in offender management and MAPPA to be vetted and to have access to VISOR.
Hard on the heels of last week’s revelations that at least £22 Million has found its way into struggling CRC’s to see them through this financial year (and still we await news of Sodexo’s hand out), comes an eye watering report that £277 million will be found to provide further funding for them over the next 4 years.
In a week which again featured major disturbances in Prisons with any number of politicians belatedly recognising that there are simply too many people within them, it was a welcome surprise to see the media spotlight fall on the state of the Probation service for a change.
The annual briefing with the MOJ Permanent Secretary Richard Heaton and his senior HMPPS management team last week was a fairly depressing 60 minutes.
I don’t suppose for one minute that any of our members will have been surprised to see the statements of intent from the Ministers with responsibility for probation that were issued on Wednesday evening.
Between now and the October AGM, our members are being asked to consider the future direction of travel for Napo.
My experience of organisation and structure reviews in the three unions I have been privileged to work for prior to Napo, suggests that these are not exactly the key issues on members minds as they face the perennial problems of inadequate pay, increasing workloads and the privatisation agenda.
With Ian away on annual leave I’m filling in for his blog with a quick overview of some issues we’re engaged with nationally and an invitation to all Napo members to join a big conversations on professional issues, informing issues that will have a huge impact for all of us.
Pay Update
So much for ‘flaming June’, but at least the political scene has been running hot. Following a hugely dramatic week (featuring a farce of the highest order in respect of the public sector pay cap) which has revealed the 3.5 billion price we are all paying to keep the minority government in power. If this reversion to Keynesian economics is good enough for Northern Ireland, which nobody doubts desperately needs help for its social infrastructure, then its surely good enough for the other regions in the UK who are also in need.
As everyone who has suffered the chaos that has befallen probation knows, the Through the Gate (TTG) scheme was heralded as the main driver for Transforming Rehabilitation by the former and unlamented Secretary of State for Justice Chris Grayling.
His oft repeated boast that his reforms would mean that prisoners on release should get more than £45 in their pocket has been bettered; in that now its £45 and a leaflet.
Given the millions of pounds of taxpayers money that was squandered on his vanity project this is hardly anything to shout about.
