Latest From Napo 18

This is the latest email from Napo HQ sent to all members earlier this afternoon:-

About those lies

 

We’ve had numerous emails at Napo HQ expressing despair and anger at the multitude of confusing messages about TR.  Who is telling the truth and who’s lying?  Why is Grayling announcing the Probation Institute?  Why are some Lords and Ladies screaming “The Unions signed up to this!” while the other side of the House roars, “Oh no they didn’t!”  There is no magic bullet here.  In a short and possibly futile answer, this is just politics in all its ugly, frustrating and counter-productive madness.  We can’t change it or control what people say and while we will obviously challenge the lies, what we can do is try to address your concerns.  We know you’re all really busy so we’ve tried to digest this as much as possible.

The Offender Management Act 2007

 

This is the legislation by which the government seeks to privatise us.  They are totally refusing to debate it because they say the legislation has been debated once already- in 2007.  We don’t believe the Secretary of State is allowed to do this and it’s causing a lot of the uproar. Along with our allies, we are seeking to challenge it.  Legally, it’s a complex issue and we are trying to find a clear way through it.

 

The Offender Rehabilitation Bill

 

In the main this relates to supervising the under 12 months and changes to enable resettlement prisons.  It will be enacted into law at some point (the government has most MPs and Lords- it’s a numbers game).  While we have serious doubts about this hasty, poorly drafted and, at times, utterly bizarre piece of legislation (every offender being subject to the same sentence?) the passing of it does not impinge whatsoever on our campaign to stop privatisation.

The “Agreement”

 

We have not agreed to privatisation and we have not agreed to the staff split which was imposed.  What we have done is agree as much protection for members as possible in terms of pensions and terms and conditions (through the NNC Framework Agreement).   We are a trade union representing member’s interests - so it would have been remiss of us not to negotiate.  Essentially, this agreement makes the CRCs more expensive for private bidders.  It is a good thing.  Of course the government is trying to spin it and say that we’ve agreed everything (hence the pantomime referred to above) but if we didn’t agree anything we would be politically in the same boat.  The government would shout “This was on the table and the unions walked away!”  Except, the tangible difference is that members would have lost future protections.

The Probation Institute

 

The government is using this for cynical political purposes.  Again, they are spinning it to say that the Probation Institute will help privatisation.  Again, this is complete rubbish.  The founder organisations are Napo, Unison, the Probation Chiefs and the Probation Association.  We are directing it and it will be a member led organisation protecting the profession and ensuring standards of training are met.  It will not act as a trade union or as an extra layer of management but if the Institute fails to make headway in this difficult climate, training and professional standards will be the responsibility of NOMS (horror!) Because their record is patchy at best, and in complete disarray at worst, and the CRCs who, contractually, only have to say that they have “sufficiently trained” staff.  This means less than nothing!  Imagine Capita or Sodexo setting professional standards!  It does not even bear thinking about.  The Institute is governed by people who know and love probation work.  The MoJ is not directing it because we are independent.

When is all of this just going to go away?

 

Not any time soon we’re afraid.  As we predicted this campaign is long and morale sapping.  Some people are battle weary, some are angry, some are depressed, and others feel it’s all pointless because TR is a done deal.  We all go through these feelings but, in the main we are a strong and united union and although we are facing an awful time we can pull through.  All we can say is that we just have to carry on.  We have to demonstrate why TR is an appalling mess and we have to do it on the evidence.  Centrally, we will struggle to do this without your involvement- please continue to e-mail any examples of TR nightmares to: campaigns@napo.org.uk.

Is it a “done deal”?

 

No!  Some trusts are saying this to staff (some with a heavy heart, others with disturbing gusto).  It is the job of senior managers to make the best of a bad lot; it is a union’s job to stop it.  That’s the nature of the beast.  Register grievances, appeals, get stress risk assessments, ask to see any new risk assessments prepared by your Trust and demand equality impact assessments, try and hang on to your cases, and crucially, please take part in industrial action.  Do whatever you can and take heart from the Public Accounts Committee hearing which revealed the MoJ as being a department unworthy of the name.  We are just going through the replay of the committee evidence and will email highlights.  Even the 1st of June (the date for the formal split) is starting to look shaky.  Keep going, together we can prevail!

Best wishes

TOM RENDON - National Chair                    IAN LAWRENCE - General Secretary