kfalcon@napo.org.uk's blog

Expert speakers include:

At the most recent Trade Union Engagement meeting (where the Unions meet with the NPS Employer) the NPS confirmed that 400 people had been overpaid by SSCL in error. They had only just been informed themselves and were still investigating how this had happened. They agreed this was unacceptable.

Justice Secretary David Gauke announced in a speech at Women’s Aid that community services supporting vulnerable women have been awarded £1.6 million funding, as part of the Government’s commitment to redu

Just sharing a communication Ian Lawrence received today from TUC General Council from Frances O'Grady, TUC General Secretary ...

Dear General Council Member

Following my conversation with the Prime Minister last week, representatives from my office and other trade union officials were today invited to meet with the Cabinet Office, Beis and Defra.

Napo is a long-term affiliate to Show Racism the Red Card and members attending Napo's AGM will know all about them from their stall their and various fringe meetings they have organsied for us.

Has there been an overhaul or reset of Universal Credit?  Despite some fanfare over the latest tweaks to the policy, the answer is no, it is business as usual with Universal Credit. The TUC has published a briefing for trade unionists - CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Since the probation split, the number of members experiencing problems progressing Ill-Health Early Retirement (IHER) applications has grown significantly. There has been a particular problem in the NPS – one of the consequences of rushing the TR programme. These have been amplified by failings in their computerised shared-service centres ability to appreciate the differences between the local government scheme (LGPS) and the civil service scheme.

If you joined the Local Government Pension Scheme before 1st October 2006 and your age and length of service add up to 85 or more you qualify for some potential benefits under it’s so called 85 Year Rule. However, the scope of the rule have changed over-time, becoming more open to interpretation and difficult to understand. Here, Napo’s pensions lead, Dean Rogers, summarises how it used to work and how it works now. CLICK HERE

So far in the Brexit debate, scant regard has been paid by the government to workers’ rights. The government has not consulted with trade unions about the terms or implications of Brexit and only when facing certain defeat in Parliament did the Prime Minister belatedly pick up the phone to some trade union leaders. This is not genuine engagement with trade unions, nor a genuine desire by the government to protect workers’ rights.

On 23rd January, the MoJ sent out an update on the IT issues (see blog story Hacking Rumours Squashed).