Latest From Napo 38

Following a long period of radio silence from Napo, we finally have a mailout to all members earlier today:-

Dear all

As the general election run in commences, we have now reached the business end of our anti-TR campaign, and this update brings you up to speed on the latest issues.

Terms and conditions
Firstly, ongoing negotiations are taking place fortnightly with NOMS HR representatives. These have centred around harmonisation of terms and conditions across the NPS. NOMS is keen to reduce 35 sets of T&C's into just one so that they can use shared services more efficiently. Napo agrees in principle to harmonisation for those of you working in the NPS, but we intend to ensure that this exercise doesn’t disadvantage members in any way. We are determined that members working in the 21 CRCs are equally well served. National collective bargaining is non-negotiable!

TR exchanges
Secondly, we continue our regular meetings with senior NOMS and MOJ management on the TR programme. Here, the probation unions continue to ask many questions about this omnishambles but you won’t be surprised to hear that NOMS have found an equal number of ways not to answer them. Grayling continues to refuse disclosure of the list of runners and riders bidding to buy the CRCs, yet this information is being disclosed around the country by the bidders themselves!

At the same time NOMS continues to peddle the delusional view that everything is ‘on track’ for the sale of the CRCs. This despite the fact we all know the original sale date of October has now slipped to December.

More obfuscation by Grayling
Thirdly, we are continuing to press for information about the risks associated with the split of probation into two parts. NOMS claim they have risk assessed everything thus far, but refuse, despite repeated requests and Freedom of Information enquiries, to publish anything at all about any of its TR risk assessments. We have been told that TR has been subject to 3 testing processes up to now, referred to as Testgates 1, 2 & 3, but NOMS flatly refuses to publish any details. We have also been asking for input into the final testing process: Testgate 4 which the MoJ agreed to following Napo's legal pressure. Just two weeks ago we were informed this exercise would take between 6 to 8 weeks, now we are told this can all be done in less than one month! Needless to say it leaves us just a little sceptical that this will be worth no more than the paper it is written on, but if you should be asked to have input into it locally please do so, and let us have a report of how it went?

It's still not over
Finally, and despite some quite astonishing and patronising communications that we have seen from one or two CRC chiefs, the sell off of the contracts hasn't happened yet. Even NOMS admits that it only has ‘at least one bidder’ per contract area; so much for competition. We’ve also been informed recently that the payment by results element of the private contracts won’t include unpaid work but only those orders comprising unpaid work plus a curfew. These account for something totalling 40% of the CRC workloads so there are obviously some cold feet at NOMS about exactly how they expect PbR to help reduce reoffending. After all, the HMP Peterborough and Doncaster pilots haven’t exactly been a resounding success despite Graylings pathetic spin campaign.

All of these issues, and many more, suggest serious deficiencies in the whole TR process. Therefore, Napo is continuing to pursue our legal strategy towards the possibility of seeking a judicial review (JR) of one or more aspects of Grayling’s failings. In light of recent developments we are currently in talks with Unison and GMB to explore the prospects for a combined approach This is a seriously complex process and had it been possible to simply press the JR button months ago we would obviously have done so but we expect that developments over the next fortnight or so will be crucial in this respect. Meanwhile, please be assured that Napo continues to do everything in our power to prevent the privatisation of two thirds of our members jobs but, as we have always said, this is a long and tough campaign.

As we head towards the AGM it is essential that we all stick together, demonstrate our unity, and maximise all opportunities to highlight the untested, untried and unworkable intended sale of the probation service. As we have made clear at this weeks Trade Union Congress, where Napo has featured prominently in the debates and fringe events, we welcome the Labour Party's commitment that it intends to review any contacts awarded under the corrupt and unaccountable TR share sale if it should form the next government, but we are pushing them to go one step more and revoke any contracts that might be awarded and to pull the plug entirely if the share sale doesn’t happen before next May. As you would expect, we are also targeting the Libdems to help them see the light and urging them to do something tangible for once, to prevent Grayling completing his ill conceived and reckless social experiment. It’s nowhere near a done deal yet.

We look forward to seeing many of you in Scarborough.

Ian Lawrence General Secretary and the Napo Officers
(Chris Pearson, Chris Winters, Yvonne Pattison, Megan Elliott, Keith Stokeld)

And here is the latest blog post from Ian Lawrence, Napo General Secretary:-

TUC 2014 - News from Liverpool

Napo has had a really successful couple of days here in the maritime quarter of this great city. This morning our two motions seeking support to oppose the TR disaster and the sale of Children's Services were successfully moved by myself and Yvonne Pattison whose speech was especially well received.

Tania Bassett also secured some great coverage for Napo in today's Morning Star TUC special, which is handed out to all those entering the Convention Centre, and has also been busy sharing the speaking engagements at two of the four fringe events that Napo has been invited to. http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-2d83-The-madness-of-Chris-Grayling#...

Apart from that, and the constant interface between the Napo delegation and many old and new contacts, I convened a really useful 12 person telephone conference yesterday involving leading Counsel on the ongoing quest to see whether we can successfully challenge Chris Grayling's TR shambles in the High Court. I cannot report on all that was discussed for obvious reasons, but suffice to say we had other interested parties on the line and the talks provided a timely health check on the progress of our legal campaign and the potential next steps that may be available to us if the MoJ persist with their strategy of self-delusion and blatant obstruction.

Cramming a lot in
Since arriving in Liverpool I have been engaged in constructive talks with PCS over Napo's representational rights in NOMS, listened to Ed Milliband explain the case against an independent Scotland and met with Labours latest rising star Chuka Umunna, the Shadow Business Secretary. I also put the new head of ACAS on alert that their services might be needed again if Noms try to renege on the TR Staff Transfer Agreement and I updated a number of visiting MP's at last nights General Council dinner as well as Napo's favourite social commentator Owen Jones (the Guardian), about the TR situation.

In stark contrast to all this, I am also trying to arrange for the delegation to meet with an especially courageous woman Martha Diaz, whose trade union activities in Colombia (helping people and speaking out against injustice) have caused her to be targeted by right wing death squads who have twice tried to assassinate her.

As I listen to an earnest but dreadfully dull speech from the Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney, (who resembles a younger Sean Connery but is not half as interesting) I have had to remind myself to avoid another justified ear bend from Kath Falcon for being late with my AGM report and programme introduction which are definitely next on the 'to do' list!