Have faith in NAPO
Yesterday I attended a meeting of branch chairs from all around the country. The purpose of the meeting was to explain why the Judicial Review was discontinued and what happens now.
Let me start by saying that I am satisfied that, since Ian Lawrence announced at the AGM in Scarborough that NAPO was going to instigate a Judicial Review, the Officers and Officials of our union have at all times acted in the best interests of the members.
The officers appreciated that some of the communications that had been sent out to members had not perhaps been as clear and as helpful as they might have been. This was partly because of the speed with which events were happening and their wish to keep members as informed as quickly as possible.
The delays in getting information to members has also been because every e-mail had first to be checked by our solicitor and then by our barrister to avoid giving any possible grounds for contempt.
The opaqueness of the communications and the lack of information, is largely due to the processes of the court.
I do think that many members had an unreasonable expectation of what could be achieved by launching a Judicial Review. We believed that we had sufficient evidence to demonstrate that it was not safe for the Secretary of State to proceed to share sale. The MOJ has repeatedly refused to share the results of their testing with us while maintaining that everything was “hunky dory”.
The results of their testing procedures have now been provided to NAPO but the court ordered that it cannot be shared.
The issues surrounding the award of costs are also matters that cannot be shared by virtue of the order of the court.
So although this may be very frustrating for us all, I would ask members to appreciate that the hands of our Officers and Officials are tied. Were they to circulate the answers to many of the questions that members have been asking they would be in Contempt of Court and both they as individuals, and the union as a whole, would be subject to financial penalties. For our elected officers, who are probation service employees, they could also risk being made the subject of disciplinary procedures that could lead to their dismissal.
As a result of yesterday’s meeting a further statement will be issued by the Officers Group (hopefully later today).
But I ask all members to trust and respect the decisions of our elected officers. They have acted in good faith and with the interests of you all.
Why would you think otherwise? Do not believe all you read from the MOJ.
I would also advise any of you who are thinking about resigning from NAPO to think again.
Never has there been a more important time to be a member of a trade union.
Have faith in NAPO
Pat Waterman
Branch Chair
I am ......... I'm in Unison - merry xmas
ReplyDeleteWell Unison can be well proud of the stance and fight they put up against TR - can't they!
DeleteThanks pat and thanks jim for posting.
ReplyDeleteI had hoped to go but had diary full of people.
I know this can't be answered but I wonder why the court saw fit to gag napo, don't they care about public and staff safety. Wonder what grayling did to get that gag. Hateful odious man .
Napo has done the most in figthting JR . I'm sticking with them
ReplyDeleteThe comment at 17:02 is understandable but in my view it is unwise to say "don't they care about public and staff safety". There are elements of the wider picture to which, frustratingly we are not party, and for reasons to which we are not party. There comes a point in all relationships when trust is required. I'm an ex po, not a NAPO member, but Pat Waterman makes a rational appeal for measured assessment. That's what PO's do. Let's all continue to do it.
ReplyDeleteAnon 17:02 has only made the point many of us have asked. I was very angry at initial news but as further communications have been made I have reflected and not resigned from NAPO as was my initial intention. However, with yesterday's signing - it is now time to consider future and I sadly regret to say, that does not include working for any privatised CRC. As a NAPO activist, I am now worn down, exhausted, and the fight against TR has taken its toll on my health and on top of that I can take no more of the relentless bombardment of this must be done, that must be done, the other must be done - all before the end of Jan. I see no let up from this, tied behind a machine, ticking all the boxes to meet requirements of a process that does nothing to reduce reoffending. I joined the service to work with individuals who need help - that has been lost for a number of years with endless change and control from the centre (NOMS made it worse) and continue to do so. I am sure I am not alone in thinking that no matter which private sector organisation CRC staff work for, things will not change in a way that benefits either offenders, victims, public, taxpayers or staff - downward spiral continues to rocket at a pace that remains detrimental to all and that includes NPS
DeleteI'm anon 17.02. When I said 'don't they care about public and staff safety' I was referring to the courts not napo
DeleteMe too and always will. You never know when something will pop up that means you need representation. I'm giving advice to a colleague about a work issue who now clearly regrets having previously resigned from a union. Not Napo I hasten to add.
ReplyDeleteI was also at the National Chairs meeting yesterday and concur with Pat's comments above. NAPO has been acting with the best interests of it's members firmly in mind and our officers and elected officials should be supported and applauded. As we go forward into this new universe, we will need our union more than ever. It is time to unite.
ReplyDeleteRob Palmer
Chair
NAPO East Anglia Branch
"supported and applauded" I wouldn't go that far. This is the kind of attitude that has got us here today - 'o well, we tried, they didn't listen' lets get on with it.
DeleteI agree typical attitude
DeleteWe will need more and more representation as the whole thing unfolds and the environment starts to get more and more hostile. If you think you can go it alone, good luck.
DeleteI have already resigned and I know several people who have. There will not be a NAPO in the future. Maybe that's were the probation institute come into play.
DeleteThere have been very few resignations recently, less than 0.03 % of the membership. This also assumes that none of the resignations came from people who have simply left the employ of Probation. The demise of NAPO is just an MoJ spin doctor's wet dream, as is the millions being hoarded for the redundancies at Chivalry Road.
DeleteMy bad. Nearer 0.2%. Hardly a rout.
DeleteWell what could have I expected. Keeping a close eye on the membership but less on TR. Fucking great. That says it all.
DeleteHardly advanced mathematics, mate.
DeleteThere's lots of pantomime style posturing and name calling of the MoJ from NAPO officers, reps and acolytes but never anything of substance: 'that would be an MOJ spin doctors wet dream' 'don't believe everything the MoJ say'..... Meanwhile NOTHING to refute the NOMS assertion that NO concessions have been made off the back of the aborted JR, NOTHING about the appeal that was supposedly being considered. NOTHING. NOTHING OF SUBSTANCE, just an effort to encourage members to have FAITH in NAPO.... oh don't worry your little minion heads about the fact that nothing has changed, that privatisation has arrived unopposed. Have faith in NAPO! Keep paying your subs and HAVE FAITH! Yes, there's no proof of NAPO doing anything, but you shouldn't need proof, you should have FAITH!
DeleteSimon Garden
Napo must be pleased that members are keeping the faith and not resigning in high numbers. There may be some relief here but nothing to boast about. The doubting Thomases have grounds for disenchantment with Napo's performance and it's quite fair to try and separate the spin from the substance. Napo may be communicating more often these days but the message isn't always clear – the 'concession' being the most recent example. I don't like the sound of 'have faith' as it seems to require the suspension of critical faculties. Mundane and secular accountability to the membership is my preferred option.
DeleteI look forward to the day when Simon either stands for election to some significant Napo role or hitches his Union card membership elsewhere.
Deletefrom PF posted online to probation CRC staff
ReplyDeleteDear Colleague
I am writing to you all as we will be working together as part of PF and I welcome colleagues from Cheshire & Greater Manchester; Hampshire and Isle of Wight Merseyside North Yorkshire Humberside & Lincs and West Yorks CRCs.
Yesterday marked an important milestone in TR as PF is now contractually confirmed as the provider of probation and rehabilitation services across our CRCS.
The Partnership
PF is a legal partnership between Interserve, 3SC, Addaction, P3 and Shelter.
COMMUNICATION:
During the competition period, we have been restricted in what could be communicated with the CRCs most particularly during the time period between the announcement of preferred bidder and contract signature, which took effect yesterday, 18th Dec.
It is usual for there to be a period of some weeks between contract signature and legal transfer of ownership while various technical, legal and financial matters are audited. We are in this period now and ownership of 5 CRCs will transfer to us on 1st Feb. Communication will become easier and more wide-ranging after this date.
You may be aware that a team from Interserve on behalf of PF, has already met with your CEO and SMT in recent weeks. These have been positive meetings on which to build future working relationships. We provided as much information as was possible given the on-going commercial constraints, which we hope to be able to share with you in the near future.
contd from above...
ReplyDeleteI know that you have already been through some massive changes over the last few months and want to reassure you that we will work collaboratively with the SMT on implementing the new operating model, building on and incorporating existing best practice within the CRCs.
The Interserve operational team has a wealth of probation and rehabilitation experience and understands the challenges that you have faced recently and those yet to come. It is clear that great progress has been made since June and due to the hard-work and strong ethos of those working in probation, the service remains stable and many innovations have been implemented in recent months. This provides a fantastic basis for building a new integrated approach to rehabilitation provision. The addition of the under 12 months cohort and a resettlement service that focuses on reintegration into the community are exciting new opportunities for us to support offenders in their journey towards their stable lives.
REFORM FOR ALL
PF has developed an operating model that recognises that offenders are individuals with the potential to change. Together we will help them realise this, while delivering their sentences. We will manage any changes with sensitivity and fairness, providing opportunities to reform for all but always with the safety of both the public and our staff as our priority.
TO DO THIS WE WILL:
Invest in new training, systems and processes - to ensure that public protection remains the top priority. This includes a commitment to continue to train probation specialists, ensuring that all staff are appropriately trained in public protection, and keeping everyone safe. Rehabilitation services will be expanded and refreshed.
Provide a 'through the gate' service to offenders - for all prisoners including those with sentences of under a year. This allows us to work with people who previously fell outside the remit of the probation service. This is an important change and our integrated, locally focused approach is well placed to make the most of this change,
Deliver the sentence of the court - in particular the new rehabilitation activity requirement (as required under the new ORA) using this opportunity to work with offenders to address the causes of offending while delivering the sentence.
Whilst we have developed these ideas about our approach, we expect to work together to continue the detailed delivery design work in the local context, and we are looking forward to this collaborative working from the earliest opportunity.
During January we will be working with your SMT to prepare for start of contract delivery from 1st Feb and thereafter with colleagues at ALL levels as we progress the new detailed design of the operating model and subsequent implementation. We will provide you with regular updates and communications during this period. NEXT STEPS:
I appreciate that you will want to have more details about future arrangements and how they will affect you. However we do not yet have sufficient understanding of the details of the CRCs existing arrangements to be able to give you any more information at this time.
Please rest assured that we will be working together to develop an exciting new service delivery solution, and we are committed to being open and honest about any potential changes and how they may affect the way in which you carry out your work.
"I appreciate that you will want to have more details about future arrangements and how they will affect you. However we do not yet have sufficient understanding of the details of the CRCs existing arrangements to be able to give you any more information at this time."
DeleteNow I wonder what they mean by this?
It means that they don't yet know what they have let themselves in for.
Deleteemail from the CEO
DeleteI am sure we can all agree that 2014 has been a 'big' year! You will have seen a welcoming letter from Purple Futures an Interserve led company which sets the tone for 2015 and the way in which we move into new ownership. As soon as I'm able I'll start to share with you the model that PF will implement with use. Its my intention, as your CEO to lead us into the new phase and to build something better together for the future of rehabilitation. In the true 'Merseyside way' we have not stood still since the beginning of June and have continued to improve on service delivery, rehab interventions and engagement with service users. In addition, our corporate operations have seen us safely through what's been a very challenging time
What remains clear to me is that whatever these changes may mean for us, the heart of what we do remains the same:
It is always about people, because that is how change happens;
It is always about relationships, because that is how things get done;
It is always about attitude, because that is how trust and confidence is built; and
It is always about teamwork, because we are stronger together, and the sum of the parts is greater than the whole.
Our job is changing people's lives,
Have a very peaceful and restful Christmas and New Year being there or them when no-one else is, believing in them when no-one else does, because we help individuals and families to rebuild their lives.
Thank you for your enduring commitment to this important job and for your commitment to the CRC and Merseyside.
Napo appear to be hoodwinking its own members by using legal privilege as a justification for non disclosure. I have it on good authority that the circumstances surrounding costs can be disclosed unless both parties subject to an application independently come to a decision not to to do so. The MOJ, in its wisdom took great pleasure in announcing that NAPO had lost the substantive nature of its case and received a good old fashion legal spanking apart from Pyrrhic victory of a pithy pre disclosure matter. If Napo are misleading you on this point, what else are they hiding ?Don't buy this nonsense and make your voice count by severing all links immediately and taking control over your own destiny . Napo is officially history city .
ReplyDeleteWho ever you are anon 19.25 you are not offering good advice to staff to resign from a Union. Trying to deal with capability/sickness absence/ t&c/ VR issues on your own is no fun. As a rep who has been contacted by people in such a position I can assure you its a lonely and worrying place to be.
DeleteI think that argument is floored. If NAPO are not even able to defend itself how can it expect to defend its membership.
DeleteNapo HQ is not misleading its members. They operate in the real world and are acting on legal advice. It is appropriate that Napo Chairs met yesterday and in depth discussions including the points you raise took place with legal advice on hand. I trust Pat Waterman implicitly as someone who has fought for her members from the outset and I am confident that she has given as much explanation as she feels she is able to do so and would not have no truck with legal twaddle. Pat is painfully honest on occasions and says exactly how she sees things and puts members first every time in my experience. I understand that Napo are preparing another statement for its members that should be in members inbox's soonest. Have faith in Napo. The days of skeletons in closets and shenanigans are over. We have some decent hardworking people at Napo HQ of whom all the members can be proud and have confidence in. Sorry to disappoint you Anonymous 19:25 but Napo is back on course and doing the job for its members against some ruthless, determined, and well resourced opponents who no doubt welcome your support.
Delete"It is appropriate that Napo Chairs met yesterday"
DeleteI think it's more important that the membership were invited. After all, are we not NAPO. Another poor decision
Seems like you backe3d away from a fight you may have won......
ReplyDelete...fully agree..... why didn't we hang in there????
ReplyDeleteOn Monday December 8th Ian Lawrence, General Secretary of NAPO, and the NAPO Officers group issued an email to members outlining the basis of their decision to discontinue the Judicial Review proceedings. The email was headed
ReplyDelete'NAPO SECURES CRUCIAL CONCESSIONS ON SAFETY FROM GRAYLING'
and i'm sure you're all now familiar with the content.
On Friday December 12th NOMS issued an email to CRCS, The NPS and to TR bidders stating:
'NAPO claimed in a communication sent to their members and the national media that as a result of the JR specific undertakings have been given... Contrary to the claims by NAPO no new commitments or undertakings were given and no changes have been made or promised in respect of the reforms'
A week has now passed, and no NAPO officer has responded to this very clear assertion that their stated basis for halting the Judicial Review is untrue. I can only presume that NAPOs officers are not disputing NOMS's assertion because it *IS* true, and NAPO's officers have mislead the union's members. If NOMS's assertion is untrue, let NAPO's officer say it is untrue
Simon Garden
you can't argue with that. well said Simon.
DeleteI have much respect for Pat but on this occasion I have to say that I think the boat has sailed. We have been left stranded and abandoned, to be left on our & deal with the mess that has been created. The fact is there is no fight to have. The one we had was lost. End....
ReplyDeleteI have absolutely no faith in a corrupt union like NAPO. Let the membership down big time.
ReplyDeleteNapo is finished. The point made by colleagues above is that they can be useful in local disputes when you are on your own. So is any generic union or even the legal cover you can get on your house insurance, to include employment disputes. Napo has one role. The clue is in the name. It had one battle for survival. For the survival of not only the ethics, values and discrete entity that is that of the Probation Officer but for the way the criminal justice system is being dismantled and gifted to cronies of our political class. What did it do?. A couple of completely pointless half-day strikes, designed to cause the minimum disruption (I've known piss - taking colleagues take longer lunches) and then, only once the cries got too loud of threatened subs being withdrawn by members, it put in a half-hearted JR action and was scrabbling round at not just the 11th hour, more like 2 minutes to midnight, asking for evidence to fuel the case. Anyone who has worked in a courts team, knows that nothing pisses judges off more than the report that they should have been reading at leisure to consider thoughtfully, being thrust into their hands at the last minute. They kept their members in the dark to the extent that many were speculating if they were just getting the union finances prepared for their own redundancy payments, - well before any legal constraints, so let's not pretend that if it weren't for the legal gagging, they would be sharing everything free and openly because that, it seems, is not their style. Too little, too late and an apparent unawareness of the anxiety their members suffered by not being told what, if anything, was being done on their behalf. They blew it.
ReplyDeleteYou've summed it up. Sad really when you think about it. NAPO was supposed to stand up for us. My branch having got the fucking bottle to even call a meeting to discuss TR.
DeleteI think you will find that that was what branch meetings were doing for the last year and a half.
DeleteWhere exactly, please do enlighten me.
DeleteWhat gets me the most is no soon as you anything about NAPO a whole bunch of people jump on board to defend NAPO. As soon as you start pointing out the issues The best they can come up with is ' well we need to stick together - you can not do it alone'. Well I am doing it alone and feel great . Shame how you can pay off a sexual predator but not come up with the guts for JR.
A fair assessment
DeleteThe response to criticism will be because many of us have the same level of commitment to the trade union movement as most of us have to Probation. Attack us and we respond, particularly if we feel the criticism to be unjustified, destructive or unhelpful. It is not rocket science.
DeleteI stick to my position, Napo is toast . All those who have paid subscriptions, should be seriously considering their own form of legal action under the sale of goods and services Act : not fit for purpose,and certainly not merchantable quality. Who knows, you might even get a refund. Most of the reps that I have bumped into in recent weeks have a delusional quality about them as they ponder how to articulate a response to the TR farrago. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against collectives even though I have never been part of one; its the pointlessness of it when leadership is so flaccid as to make little difference to the human condition.
ReplyDeletenapo certainly is not national anymore - about as useful as knitting soup
ReplyDeleteI am also terrified at Purple Futures admitting to not quite knowing what they are taking on CRC wise. Good god!!
Not wise. part of the game. That's when they start to say, 'well we din't expect this, therefore we (here it comes) need to make some CUTS and restructure'. Remember you heard it here first.
DeleteWelcome to The Machine. So what to do next? A few spanners to slow it down will help buy some time, but start applying creative thinking as to how to get around it. Musicians coped with the 'industry' & downloading; filmmakers coped with the 'industry' & streaming; writers are coping with ebooks.
ReplyDeleteThink smart (not the crappy NOMS' version) - think around the problem. I loathe what they've done and it won't be undone, and sadder things will follow. But think about ploughing a different furrow. Look at the "Amazing Spaces" programme and see how creativity has bypassed The Machine to allow freedom of expression and joy.
Then, when you're in recovery from this TRavesty, enjoy watching the dickheads stabbing each other in the back over the dire, shitty state of CRCs across the country.
Don't be a victim anymore. Rise up!!
The trolls and MoJ stooges are having a field day this eve, l see. Keep your nerve, Napo members and fight the scourge. We need Napo and Napo needs us.
ReplyDeleteI posted above 'Napo is finished, etc'. If I was a MoJ stooge, I'd be saying the opposite. Napo needs you - not sure it works the other way any more.
ReplyDeleteNapo has done a lot more than unison in all of this.
DeleteI am staying in napo . If we want things to change . We need to be part of it to change it
In case you missed it, we were part of NAPO but NAPO was not part of us.
Delete"Power isn't money, or position - power is a lie. Get everyone believing what they know in their hearts is not true, and you hold all the power."
ReplyDeleteWent to see my GP yesterday. She signed me off for 4 weeks, wouldn't accept any argument otherwise. On so- called "social" media today I've already been lambasted as being lame, weak, pathetic - and have been accused of "baling out", "running away", "dumping on colleagues", being "lightweight" and, best of all, "incapable of managing a fart".
ReplyDeleteThanks, colleagues. That's very encouraging & will speed my recovery from a serious health condition. And fuck you too.
Interesting post - many colleagues assume I know nothing (or little) of social media yet I watch from the sidelines and many unpleasantries are exchanged most weeks, a number of which belie the allegedly 'explicit' relationships as displayed In the office during the working week. Treacherous!!
DeleteSad & sorry to hear about your experience.
Anon 00:44 - ignore people that are critical of your absence - the only thing that matters is your health - without it everything else becomes worthless anyway. Take care and hoping you get plenty of support elsewhere and get yourself back onto the road of recovery.
DeleteThe letter from MTCNovo to Serco staff says they are planning on working closely with our 3 senior managers to ensure a smooth transition.
ReplyDeleteTo annon at 08:08 - Well that's fine and dandy then - we can all be hugely encouraged at the prospect. It will all be lovely - we will all be lovely together. I know sarcasm does not become me!. Interesting no mention of working closely with the union/s - I am not sure what union Serco staff are linked to.
ReplyDeleteSerco staff are in unison and Napo just like everyone else
ReplyDeleteAcross all CRCs, everything will be presented as hunky dory for the first 12/18 months, they will do their to keep staff remaining happy and content - then as pbr kicks into the contracts we will see PERFORMANCE micro-managed, those not achieving turfed out replacing with cheaper options, while all the way terms & conditions will be eroded. Well to the new world
ReplyDeleteRemember, Jim's blog, while it can be informative, is (ahem) not really a TU forum... Why not therefore just have one Napo member gatekeeping threads like this, and leaving it to the MoJ voyeurs and the other surrender-monkeys? ;)
ReplyDeleteFor your information there is a NAPO forum which no one uses. That says alot about NAPO.
DeleteThe Napo forum is set up for members only. You have to acquire password to start posting.It is harder to make posts from a phone imo. This blog therefore is simple for all n sundry. Also bad language/personal insults will get monitored. People do read Napo forum posts but yes sadly few post nowadays by contrast with past lively dialogue.
ReplyDelete