Sunday 31 May 2015

Not Fit For Purpose

It's Sunday, so where is 'Bleak Futures Week 22'? No energy for it I'm afraid. On more than one occasion I've seriously thought of packing this blogging lark in. It's all been said; the battle's been lost; readers are getting bored; it's having no effect; nobody is listening; it's time to move on. 

To be honest my recent sojourn got me mentally preparing a valedictory script as I've no stomach to preside over a long lingering blog death, but then I've been reminded of some unfinished business. I hope regular readers will recall that, although I've always sought to be supportive of my union, on occasion I've been somewhat forthright in offering criticism and what I thought was constructive advice. As far as I can tell it has had absolutely no effect and the existence of this blog has still never been officially and publicly acknowledged by the Napo high command.

Some things in life just beggar belief don't they, such as Sepp Blatter doing a fine impression of being King Canute, but managing to hold the tide of change back single-handed at FIFA, or should that be FEEFA? Some might be tempted to see certain similarities with Napo. On numerous occasions I have stated that the organisation and its leadership is completely dysfunctional, in the naive hope that this clearly obvious fact might resonate with someone in authority, with the result that something might happen. But no, it seems everyone at the top prefers to play dumb instead and pretend that things are just fine - maybe a tweak here or a tweak there, but nothing major needs to change. 

Despite everything that's happened over the last few years; the shenanigans; the resignations; the rows; the failed campaigns; the incompetency; the unaccountability; the communication disaster, etc, etc, there's not been the slightest sign of the need for some considered insight; enquiry; analysis; post mortem; soul-searching; or serious internal review as to how to approach the future in a dramatically changed environment. Ok there has been a re-alignment of branch boundaries and a 'staffing review' as reported recently in Napo news:-

"At the time of my election as your General Secretary in 2013, I indicated that I wanted to be at the forefront of enabling Napo to adapt and change to the challenges ahead. Since then we have seen the restructuring to our branch network and the NEC, the creation of a new approach to the bargaining environment forced upon our NPS and CRC members and an improving partnership relationship between Napo and Cafcass senior management. We have done all this against the backdrop of a TR campaign. 

Recently we have reviewed how we can best utilise our Full Time Officials and nationally elected Officers to ensure that we rebuild our engagement strategy with our members as well as their employers, and underpinning this are ongoing reviews of our finance systems, membership services portfolio, our communications strategies and our relationship with the excellent National Representatives Panel. 

We have also now formally commenced a consultation process with your staff here at Chivalry Road (and the UNITE union) following the publication of Napo’s Staffing Review. This has produced a new operational template for the way in which we will try to deliver services to our members in the future. More details will follow once we have brought the NEC up to speed and answered the initial feedback from staff, but the key features include the creation of some development opportunities which will be open to our Administrator grade, no redundancies or detriment to pay and terms and conditions and a guaranteed role for each of your employees in the proposed new structure which will be based around three core functions of: representing members, professional support and campaigns, and Finance and services to members."

But this is just tinkering at the edges and hardly a thorough structural review of the organisation and how it works. The fact is it's fundamentally flawed and not fit for purpose. A good place to start is at the top and the role of Chair. There is an inherent conflict of interest by nature of the dual role as both employer and representative of the membership and it makes no logical sense. Over recent time there have been repeated demands from the membership for information, but the Chair is prevented from saying much due to legal obligations as de facto employer.

Obviously the NEC will be privy to much of the information, and are hopefully involved in key decision-making, but are similarly bound by the need for confidentiality. In a situation like this there is an absolute need for the Chair, and ideally the NEC, to be on top of their game and able to effectively line manage the paid staff in the form of the General Secretary. 

Especially in an information vacuum, there must surely be complete confidence in the 'top table' by the membership, but increasingly I don't sense this. Worse, in everything I've ever seen about this set-up in Napo speaks of ineffective line management of the paid staff, resulting in the tail continually appearing to wag the dog. Splitting the Chair's role in half was simply a barking mad idea that has compounded matters and must surely have been seen as an absolute gift to a patently unsuitable General Secretary intent on resisting being managed.

It should be obvious to all that there is a serious disconnect between the ever-shrinking membership and those at the top, amply demonstrated by the matter of pay. Although I'm led to believe a pay increase for staff was rejected as being somewhat difficult to justify in the present circumstances, I wonder who thought it a wise move to simply 'divi up' the surplus in the staffing budget caused by recent leavers? At one time I'd have felt some qualms about bringing all this up in public, but it seems hints and subtleties are just lost on certain people and a slightly more forthright approach is required.

As far as I can see, all the chickens are starting to come home to roost. The money is running out and some drastic action is now required. Unfortunately the time for an in-depth enquiry has now passed and it's hard to see how disaster can be avoided without some heads rolling. The problems are mounting up with 'check-off' about to cease, causing an inevitable further drain in membership. The communication strategy is laughable with no emails from the co Chairs for months, the Napo forum is dead and buried and still nobody seems to have a clue how to use social media effectively. 

Then there's the whole matter of professional issues. It could be argued that over recent time Napo has become more concerned with trade union matters than professional ones. Recruitment seems to have been geared towards people with trade union experience rather than professional knowledge and the 'top table' have become increasingly unbalanced in that regard. I've heard reports that at Officers and Officials meetings, professional items on the agenda are met with glazed looks, it being felt to be only relevant to the elected officers and a distraction for the officials. 

Of course this was amply demonstrated during the TR campaign with the General Secretary insisting that he front all media appearances, despite his extremely limited professional knowledge becoming all-too-painfully obvious. Some would say Napo is now a professional association in name only and could quite easily lose the Probation Journal to the likes of the Probation Institute.  

It was always going to be a tough call fighting TR and Napo's strength was never going to lie with industrial action, but rather in the power of effective argument, skillful campaigning and networking with senior figures in Parliament, the profession and wider community. Sadly Napo just wasn't geared up for the fight, had a completely dysfunctional management structure and arguably didn't have the right people for the job. To this day I understand the MoJ were astonished that there was no effective Judicial Review mounted and the blame for that lies squarely in my view with the General Secretary and the inability of the Chair to effectively manage him. 

Like it or not, there is a head of steam building for change and Napo really would be wise to take serious note. All this from yesterday:-

No doubt whatever information and data are deduced from the survey will be of such a confidential nature its findings can't be shared with the membership. But don't worry! NAPO are doing a number of things, and badgering away at getting any issues uncovered by the survey, resolved. Unfortunately, NAPO cannot reveal to its membership the avenues of resolution it is taking. Clandestine don't you know?

If NAPOs efforts are successful, then they may enter into agreements with CRC owners and the MoJ. However, because of the confidential nature of those agreements, NAPO will not be able to inform its membership of what those agreements are. In the event that the CRC owners or MoJ do not keep to those agreements, NAPO will not be able to inform its membership either. However, rest assured that if this should occur, NAPO will take the strongest action it can. Unfortunately however, NAPO will not be able to disclose to its membership what form this action will take! I'm beginning to think that all NAPO exec meetings take place in room 101.

*****
This satirical piece is all the better for the fact that it does not depend on anything surreal: it all rings true. And it's telling the leadership of Napo that the old script does not work anymore. The members are wiser, more cynical, less trusting, less deferential to the Napo establishment. I agree the shock may come when it comes time to set up direct debits for subscriptions. Will a membership that is generally apathetic, and financially depressed, be much inclined to signing off direct debits?

*****
Mocking the union may not be helping anyone's ability to feel confident and get on with the business of supporting staff and representing members. What this leads to for now is who is doing what at Napo? What are their credentials for the tasks, who supervises, assesses and nurtures the energies in the right direction? Does the line management within the union have the right abilities and what are the job descriptions?

This whole situation makes you wonder exactly what we pay for in subscription? Is the money effectively spent or is it used to pay useless staff not really able to do a proper job? We are all under pressure to perform yet how are we confident what we fund is fit for its purpose in the climate we work today? This whole TR thing may well see NAPO as a union\professional body as the real casualty. Napo has to face up and the Chairs need to get a grip on the truth not what appears to be more collusion to stifle genuine member interest. That said, the delay will cost us our union because when the check off for subscriptions stops from employers there will be very few preparing for direct debit mandates given the current state of play. Come on Napo get a sense of urgency and come clean over everything. Integrity may well be something missing in many peoples opinions, but you can restore it through honesty.

*****
NAPOs whole existence has until recently been a very comfortable one. It's never had to deal with major trade disputes and the issues it has had to get involved with are pretty small scale individual disputes, where rules regulations, accepted working practice and conditions are well defined and clear cut. Their opposition has always been a government department that have really presented no great opposition at all as everything is pretty clear cut as rules regulations and policy have defined the outcome.

They've been too comfortable in truth, because when the battle horn was blown, they didn't have a clue what to do. The reality is NAPO are out of their depth with TR and the new world of private enterprise. Having always served as 'the home guard' they're just not equipped to serve on 'the battle front'. Maybe with that in mind, the membership may seem to have been pretty hard on their union of late. But it's hard times for the membership, and they deserve a lot better from the union then they've been getting. If NAPO are out of their depth on this, they should step forward and say. They may even be surprised at what support may rally as a consequence.

*****
The sad thing reading this is that all the above is true and that Napo will not grace us with a response. I do hope Napo sorts itself out but I think it is rotten at the core and there needs to be immediate changes at the top first which must also filter through into local arrangements - some local branches have rot too.

Instead Napo will tell us how well it's fighting for probation but cannot tell us what the methods or results are. How much we're benefiting from Napo decisions but cannot tell us what those decisions are. And that Napo members money is very well spent but cannot tell us what the actually costs involved are.

It's all very strange as usually when organisations use members money to pay themselves huge salaries, have few results, and shroud 'decisions' in secrecy, either people are sacked or arrested for corruption. What Napo will tell us is that "a union is as good as its members". The truth is that Napo has been losing active members for years because many of us see little that is inviting in Napo to be part of.

Once again, I do hope Napo respond to the membership and make immediate changes one way or another. The cynical person I am suspects Napo will do nothing and run itself further into the ground and merge or close when the money and property is gone.

*****
I think a problem for many who attend branch meetings is that manager Napo members also attend. Managers do not seem to see the conflict of interest issue, or the inhibiting effect on member contributions. Apart from this I do support the notion that dissent re Napo staff should be put to branch meetings. You cannot expect Napo hierarchy to respond to anonymous comments here - some could be Sodexo in disguise, out to cause mischief.


*****
We want a union that actually attempts to do things properly, not behave in a way that has generated all these questions. The void in the information is what drives posters concerns. The rubbish same phrase the GS espouses like you would want me to do and I am accountable to the NEC, doing their expectation and that old classic you professionals would require of me. All straight out of the Narcissist "how fool People and believe in your own Greatness" fools nobody anymore.

*****
The trouble we're having is that even the branch execs don't have confidence in Napo at the moment and it is hard to motivate members to get involved.

*****
Several staff in our area (myself included), were quite excited about the proposed £300 payment for those of us who haven't had increments for several years as we were on the top of our scale. We felt shafted when we discovered we hadn't been given a vote on accepting this and found Napo had kindly turned it down on our behalf. £300 May not seem a lot to Lawrence et al, but to those of us who haven't had an increment for years it would have paid for the car service! Thanks Ian for acting in my interest!

*****
If I recall correctly though there was a vote on this pay offer. My area voted for the offer although I don't know when the vote took place as I had no opportunity to vote, despite asking our rep when there would be a vote. I can't remember the exact voting results nationwide but I did see an email/communication about it and I think it was Napo areas in the Midlands and Yorkshire that voted against the offer and that swung the balance for the offer to be rejected. So in this case Ian did represent members.

*****
FOR 360 AGAINST 412 Representing what this turnout was hardly reliable and in my area a series of the worst office based meetings that really caught a few people at lunchtime. The problem is this sort of vote needs some real attention to modernisation and a reasonable ballot should be managed electronically surely? Either way NAPO may be a little too short-sighted to have ventured the appropriate investment. It will mean a defence based on data protection, but I don't think that it cannot be worked around.

*****
It is a shame that we lost a pay deal as the voting appears to be hit and miss. It just shows you though the absurd situation we are in. Members have real disappointment in not being able to have a small treat as noted above. Car service is important it's no luxury these days but essential. A pair of shoes or a domestic appliance all important and whilst our members are working harder for less. It was reported on this blog on the 20th that the NAPO staff had been given extra monies which has to be agreed by the chairs. So how in touch are these people handing out more NAPO cash when staff ask for it yet no one seems to realise how insensitive this is to us, the bill paying membership. Sure, no problems when we are all doing well and pay rises with increments were the norm, but that is not how things are today.

If what we are reading is true about membership figures in decline, also the failure of the General secretary and his team to actually do anything that has helped our situation, I would think the NAPO office has less to do than ever before. So have they had a pay rise or more money in some way or not? I have seen the post on here from one of the Vice Chairs so any chance they come back and declare the position?


*****
Yesterday's questions have been lost yet they raise the issues that most are concerned about. It is clear there is little confidence in the current General Secretary so what do we need to do to replace him? Napo is not MI5 or dealing with national security issues, it IS accountable to the membership who pay their salaries. Evil can only prosper while the majority stand by and watch - time for action ... anyone else agree?

-oo00oo-

To round off, I say this one more time. Napo is dysfunctional at the top and something has got to change, or the union is finished. But is there anyone listening? Or do those in charge really feel all these necessarily anonymous voices can be ignored for much longer?   

49 comments:

  1. Jim, I don't like correcting you when your spirits are a bit low and you are thinking of throwing in the towel...but you do King Canute a disservice: in actual fact historical source support the view that in fact he was seeking to show his fawning followers that he could not hold back the tide.

    I was astonished to read about a surplus in the staff budget at Chivalry Road being 'divvied up'. If at a time when probation staff are subject to severe pay restraints which has seen their incomes nosedive, then it's scandalous that this austerity is not being similarly borne by those whose incomes are funded by the subscriptions of hard-pressed members.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No problem Netnipper - I've altered the Canute analogy a little and hope it will now pass muster.

      Yes the 'divvying up' of the spare cash is somewhat surprising isn't it? Napo are going to have to justify that decision and it will be interesting to see who takes the flak.

      Delete
    2. We'd be all the poorer if the blog were to cease. Its the only place whee there can be professional debates it seems. Wouldn't want it to be another victim of TR.

      Delete
  2. Please don't give up the blog. This is the one place where those of us involved or interested in probation matters but not from probation can find out what is happening. I'm mainly thinking of what is really happening in the CRC's etc rather than your union, though that is obviously important to its members.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jim whatever you decide to do I would like to thank you for helping Mr through the defeat after defeat of TR, your was the unifying voice and the place to turn to when things got difficult if only to realise that colleagues in other parts of the country were also suffering.......if you do decide to go I hope that someone with as much energy and insight picks up the banner as the way I see it we are now a defeated group of staff facing the might of a faceless corporate entity We need a platform to highlight malpractice by CRC companies masters because once the staff cull has taken place common sense tells you that money will only be made by pressurising the remaining staff to manipulate stats, cover things up and so on...it feels as though we are a defeated group but it's time to enter the guerrilla stage of the fight and we may only be able to do this by watching and recording but history teaches us that even faceless corporations can come unstuck...".......

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I guess fatigue gets to us all at times. In the final analysis it will be reader interest and whether the blog continues to reflect current concerns and views that will decide the fate of the blog. At the moment I detect real concern about Napo as being a major issue.

      Delete
    2. I would say that there still remains reader interest in this invaluable blog and as you have pointed out so many times Jim, this blog acts as historical documentation of TR from all perspectives but in particular, practitioner and service user perspectives. It is an important forum for sharing what is going on around the country as well as being a release mechanism for the stresses that this is all bringing, allowing us to be vocal when TPTB want us to shut up and let it all die away. And let's be honest, the worst is yet to come when all the operating models are announced, when budgets are cut further and when the redundancies start happening, let's see what practice looks like then. I for one would miss this blog if it ceased to exist but if or when you decide to call it a day, then let me thank you for all the hard work you have put into it so far; it is appreciated.

      Delete
  4. I don;t agree with a lot of the criticism of NAPO because I do not believe that it's processes are being properly represented and nor do I believe that the challenges are properly understood.

    We all know how unsupportive the membership can be when we call a strike but, in my 20+ years of activism, I have seen at least five branches seekiing to address the issue of poor attendance at meetings. Local meetings, central meetings, meetings that circulate around offices, branch AGMs with attendance in single figures; the problem is endemic. Getting people to put themselves forward as branch officers, to undertake any activity including voting for anything is and always has been a challenge. It is almost always a small number of ardent activists that make local branches even viable. I attended a branch meeting recently in the biggest office in my area the same week as the announcements of the Sodexo redundancies. The meeting was quorate but what was shocking was the fact that, with the exception of two branch officials, NOT A SINGLE MEMBER PRESENT WAS FROM THE CRC OR WAS FACING REDUNDANCY!! We ran meetings in EVERY office for the pay ratification (they were ALL extra meetings in addition to the normal ones and were run by branch officials and local reps SPECIFICIALLY FOR THE PURPOSE OF PAY RATIFICATION. It was in the lunch period (because it cannot be in work time - would you prefer an evening or weekend?). In offices where there are 30+ members, 4 turned up to vote. Constitutionally, only votes taken at meetings can be counted. NAPO officers cannot consult everyone on a 1:1 basis; the members have to come to meetings. Until they recognise this and prioritise them, turn-out will always be low. In the five areas where I have worked, it has always been low.

    Election of NEC reps (and most other branch officials) is never a case of 'Ooh! Who is the best candidate for the job? Who is best placed to hold the GS to account'? It's more like 'Who is dumb enough to take the job on'. Whilst this is not literally fair and our NEC reps are capable people, I have NEVER known an NEC co-rep post to be the subject of a contest. The idea that the NEC is made up of highly skilled, professional union reps is naive. It is made up of people who are interested enough to get involved but who, in many cases, rely on the stronger and more experienced committee members to provide momentum.

    NAPO is a tiny union in a largely feminised workforce. I am not being sexist; most of the local activists in my area are women but, sociologically, a feminised workforace has rarely, historically, been a militant one (female Ford workers at Dagenham were a rare and welcome exception). Whatever Ian Lawrence's shortcomings, and there are some (I disagree with some of the criticisms), the problem is a hostile, aggressive and astonishing incompetent MoJ, a vicious and self-serving SoS, a Government that is anti-public services, a media and public that is (against it's better interests) anti-Union and, against all of that, a weak and ambivalent membership. If this 'member led' union dies, it will be through self neglect/suicide. UNISON/PCS/UNITEA etc are unlikely to provide the impetus to reinvigorate union membership within this workforce. Probation is entirely peripheral to their core business.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon@11.05: your informed description of branch activities probably applies throughout the country. You spell out how this apathy was reflected in the recent pay vote and 'elections' to NEC positions, for example.

      There may never have been a golden age of member engagement, but it has got worse. I would add that the deprofessionalisation, and departmentalism, in the workforce have also militated against common causes.

      Activism, in the main, has tended to be a small core which has somehow miraculously renewed itself over the years. Unfortunately being a union activist has never had any mass appeal and this has remained so despite the union facing its biggest threats ever and possibly an existential threat. It seems nothing much disturbs the sleepwalking workforce.


      Delete
    2. We have cheap wine from ALDI and coronation street. Why rock the boat?

      Delete
  5. Probation Officer31 May 2015 at 11:44

    "I wonder who thought it a wise move to simply 'divi up' the surplus in the (Napo) staffing budget caused by recent leavers?"

    This action from Napo doesn't sit right with me and maybe deserves its own blog post. Napo staff 'divvying up' our money when Much of us have not had a pay rise for years or so much as a free pen from Napo.

    Im sure we'd all like to know much money was this, how was it split and who received it? Why was there a surplus and what was not spent on (fighting member grievances and tribunals I suspect)? Why wasn't it invested in improving Napo rather than just handed out to Napo staff as 'bonuses'. Why didn't members benefit from this surplus of OUR money.

    I think I've made up my mind where my Union direct debit will be in September.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Without wishing to disrespect Jim, who has made a massive contribution to the Probation cause throughout this battle, his perspectives on NAPO are his own and he is entitled to his views. Nevertheless, his anti-Chivalry Road pieces can be emotive and provoke the worst kind of prejudicial responses. Terms like 'divvying up' (no idea how to spell it) are unnecessarily provocative. I don't know the full story here but I can also see when others don't either. People are seeing things they want to see given their personal proclivities.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. " I don't know the full story here but I can also see when others don't either. People are seeing things they want to see given their personal proclivities."

      People are drawing their own conclusions and responses as a consequence of not being given any information. What else can you do when you can't reference your thinking to any knoweledge of what those representing are actually doing?
      If people had more information, there would be a more unified understanding and collective thinking.
      Sharing information is the key to stopping people drawing their own conclusiond.

      Delete
    2. We are entitled to describe things as we see them. There will always be differences in language and that may reflect different values and worldly truths.

      Some say the 'bedroom tax', some say 'bedroom subsidy'; some say 'cuts', some say 'savings', some say 'zero hours', some say 'flexible hours'. Some are saying 'divvied up'. Now if some want to say 'recognition and reward', or something else, let them say it.

      Delete
    3. To 12:14 the views aren't Jim's just his own, he is representing many of us who hold the same views and have contacted Jim about them.

      Delete
  7. I would be truely devasted if this blog does not continue. You have been a constant stalwart for us all Jim, but I can see how exhausted you must be. You must do now what is best for you and your family but I will say this my friend, no one could take over the legacy you've build half as well as you.xx. god bless you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Its really interesting to read these comments in relation to NAPO. I've been reading this blog for several months now and one thing has been very clear: there is a lot of bitching going on about TR and all the changes that have occurred as a result. But what is equally as obvious is that those doing the bitching do not seem to be the same people standing up to the MoJ through strike action. Has nothing been learned from the past? Change only occurs when people let it happen. Change for the better requires active participation. Change for the worse happens when people do nothing and fail to unite and stand up for themselves. NAPO may be partially to blame for what has happened as it seems to be a completely dysfunctional organisation that ignores its membership and does whatever the hell it wants to do but the membership is also partially to blame for letting NAPO become what it has become. You created the monster, now you have to live with it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You underestimate the ability of a few to manipulate the majority in the form of contrived and limited reporting. The foolish and polite way many NEC colleagues have let go important details and the controlling group stall out the time until lunch or tea. The nec break for biscuits and forget what the issues were. I have been afraid to show any dissent to the way things are reported in the past and dealt with. The nec is not fit for purpose given the way we should operate. There is too much voting power for some of the branches whose reps are not as appreciative of the bigger long term issues as they ought to be. It has cost us now yet in time with the split the voting numbers will have to re organised and I hope it balances the over inflated.

      Delete
  9. lots of offices closing/relocating in my area but generally, whilst people don't like what's happening, they accept it and just seem to be getting on with it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. What I need from a union is
    1. a good standard of representation should I need it
    2. to act in my best interests and that of my profession
    3.to be accessible, accountable and democratic
    4. to be united in common purpose
    Now, the list for others may differ but I have thought long and hard about this, having withdrawn as a NAPO activist because well, it became just too difficult to go on. Now I am considering leaving NAPO altogether and am really sad to feel this way.
    I first became disillusioned two years ago but soldiered on thinking things would get better. They have deteriorated. Tipping point for me was trying to get a response to an email I sent to Chivalry Road and chasing it then feeling so let down because I was ignored and felt I did not support our members well. I do not know many of the top bods well and began to feel that those who did had a better means of getting service from them, even the regional liaison people. I know others had the same experience, they told me so.
    There was an overwhelming sense that people were just too busy with the looming TR "battle" to sweat the small stuff and I believe support for the reps ( and therefore individual members) just was not adequate. I would add that once National Reps were made available good standards were resumed for those cases.
    I then started asking regionally could liaison and support be improved and I can remember one particular meeting when I caught the rolling of eyes between the regional rep and another national bod that made me realise they were the' ins' and I was definitely an 'out'. I once mentioned this blog and could not believe the negative response I got, shouldn't NAPO be learning from the blog? Oops, that was a mistake! You see the union had become so detached from its' members that it only wanted to listen to matters it had originated.
    Now I feel my future lies with PCS and actually the more I think about it I really believe NAPO should be talking to them. Yes, it creates problems because of the TR split but no, I do not think them to be insurmountable. This has reached critical mass and NAPO needs to merge with a sister union before all is lost. Or am I just feeling very negative tonight?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This post could have been written by me as I have had the same experience! I left Napo with a heavy heart and at much personal cost after 10 years of hard work promoting and supporting Napo. I have joined PCS and am hoping to go forward helping to help its membership grow in the NPS

      Delete
  11. I still read the blog avidly. In spite of all the mind-numbing pessimism, it champions the reality. (So, don't give up just yet, Jim.) NAPO is frankly toothless and inevitably useless. In a previous professional incarnation I belonged to a union which effectively was a closed shop and who on numerous occasions held the government to ransom. NAPO is denied that luxury, a situation which isn't helped by some spectacular own goals (the Ledger affair, the doomed TR challenge and an executive high on rhetoric but low on delivery). Come on, join UNISON. (Not quite a closed shop, but much stronger collectively.) The water's lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I would think carefully about joining Unison look at how it failed to ballot its members when NAPO took strike action and both unions together could have achieved more. My experience is that its main interest is the NHS and it has no understanding of probation whatsoever.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fair enough but the elected Chair Mr Rendon as well as others in the running made a commitment to get the sister union Unison on board for all Napo joint actions. It was an empty promise from him !

      Delete
  13. Napo has made numerous catadtrophic mistakes over the last two or three years - one or more will prove fatal. The PI has assumed the mantle of 'professional issues' without any challenge; the belated & bewildered JR was doomed because it was late & thus toothless; not having an eye on the ball whilst the unmentionable GS was playing the fool; ...

    What Napo did best has been given away or lost.

    If you feel able to keep the blog alive I think it could evolve into a unique forum for probation staff that outlives Napo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. An agreeable assessment but if the current general secretary had any courage he would acknowledge the situation make his apologies for the failings and resign. Napo might have a better chance of surviving without his like and style. Reform regroup and rediscover integrity over bluster.

      Delete
  14. I hope you will decide to continue Jim myself and many colleagues have relied on your blog to keep us informed of all the issues. I appreciate it must be very time consuming but Probation will be a sorry place to work without this blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hear hear. If anyone needs a soapbox, it's a great place to get things off your chest and be surprised that you're not the only one that feels that way. Jim just needs people to light the blue touch paper a bit. I did a guest blog but it needn't even be that. I would be interested in practice issues. Sort of 'I learned more about probation by something I did wrong' articles. Pilots share their cock ups anonymously to stop others making the same mistakes. OMs could do the same here. Tony

      Delete
    2. Good idea Tony - all contributions welcome.

      Delete
  15. Anon 18:24 sums it up for me. My experience of Napo has been up and down over the years. I've benefited from very good representation on occasion and good advice from Napo Reps and Chivalry Rd. There's been times it's been like banging my head against a brick wall. There's been times either myself or others from teams I've been with have personally had to campaign against probation trusts and Napo only acted on our behalf at the last minute. There's been times when myself and others have been mistreated by probation trusts, and again Napo have given little support. I've once had an unfair disciplinary decision against me as have colleagues I know but Napo have refused to take it further citing financial costs. I've also seen staff battle unfair treatment from Napo staff/reps too, locally and nationally, with Napo then closing ranks to protect their own.

    I recall when the Jonathan Ledger issue broke and Napo were more interested in telling members to be quiet rather than addressing that fact that a huge sum of members money had been given away to a disgraced general secretary. Then we had TR and Napo did absolutely nothing for months on end until it was far too late to fight TR. Even before all of this probation sold off community service, introduced reporting kiosks, contracted out DRR's and employment advisors, restricted/suspended probation officer training, employed non qualified staff in positions ranging up to operational ACO's, the list goes on - and where was Napo?

    I've been active in Napo over the years and more recently wanted to train as a rep too. Now I'm not interested in any of this as it's not a credible organisation to be part of, and I won't be striking as I've no idea what it's about or why our own pay offer has been rejected. At the moment I'm paying Napo subscriptions up until Sep 2015 just in case and then I'll probably be going elsewhere for union support if I remain in probation.

    Do I get a good standard of representation should I need it? Sometimes
    Does Napo act in my best interests and that of my profession? Not always
    Is Napo accessible, accountable and democratic? No
    Is Napo united in common purpose? I'm not sure what Napo's purpose actually is

    The problem with all of this is that Napo HQ are living well off our money while we suffer. We pay them all this money every month to protect and support us but they have already failed, and we continue to pay them! Napo can't even use Twitter properly and its member forum is so mismanaged the only person that uses it is 'Tolkny'. Even still I read comments demanding we give Napo a chance so I ask how bloody long are we to wait? We're not asking for miracles from Napo but only for the level of service we've already paid for. It is a sorry state of affairs that members of an organisation have to complain online on a blog as there is no other way to be heard. What's worse is that Napo ignores it!

    I suspect that by the end of next year Napo membership will be at an all time low as a result of existing staff leaving Napo and new staff not bothering to join. By then it probably would have been conned out of the Probation Journal by the Probation Institute, forced to sell off Chivalry Rd to the highest bidder, and then 'divvied-up' the financial balance to 'top up' exec redundancy payments prior to being absorbed into one of the larger Unions.

    I think its safe to say that Ian Lawrence is reading this (widely read) blog and if there is no response to members in the coming days then he's either a total moron or he's Sepp Blatter in disguise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just to add that I could have saved myself from typing all of this because Anon 19:16 sums up my feeling about Napo in a single line;

      "NAPO is frankly toothless and inevitably useless"

      Enough said!

      Delete
    2. Please don't give up on us Jim, people rely on this cyber space for colleague support, reliable advice, up to date scandal from everywhere, including divvied up salaries to the G.S et al, u are the strongest, most respected source of information we can trust and people will be lost without it. It is indivuals such as yourself Jim who kept battles such as Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust going to finally expose the truth about its shenanigans. To reduce the pressure on you maybe you could reduce the posts to 2 or 3 weekly? I think we could all agree since the General Election ... This is life Jim but not as we knew it ... You are need now as much as ever before x

      Delete
    3. Anon 2055 great post thank you !

      As for the comparison perhaps not a moron but insensitive lacks foresight loves limelight superficial strength where it counts lacks respect and an ability to listen and respond to members in my observations of him. .

      Delete
    4. Having read about this, I really want to quit. There are a few people who have encouraged me to stay. From what I gather and what I am in fear of is that Napo is toying with the National Reps. If we were to lose these few key brilliant people, Napo can offer ALL. SOD ALL!

      Delete
  16. C'mon, Napo, admit it - the world is NOT flat after all. Get out of the flat-earth closet. Acknowledge this blog exists. Acknowledge what members, lost members and non-members are saying. You've nowt to lose coz you've already lost everything Napo stood for, and by refusing to acknowledge your mistakes you're making yersens look even more stupid.

    ReplyDelete
  17. The world is gone crazy - napo fails when its needed most; fiefa rule football; bankers continue to fleece their customers; free childcare doubled for families with two working parents; 5,ooo,ooo votes gain just two parliamentary seats (ukip & greens); napo "surplus" cash used to provide bonuses to paid officers?

    What next? Plague of locusts? Boiling seas? Rising summer temperatures?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Train slowing for my stop. I have empathy with Jim's weariness - I'd rather stay on the train & not bother with the office today... It'll be another round of dictatorial emails, new practice directives, IT failures & general haranguing from eager-beaver CRC managers. Oh yes, and some cases to see if I can find the time.

    "All aboard!!"

    ReplyDelete
  19. I've gone off this blog since the anti-SNP/scottish tone became more pronounced in the wake of the election. I was particularly perturbed that posts of mine asking about this were deleted without comment. Nonetheless I think this blog serves a good purpose, and whatever battles have been lost I think the war on neoliberalism has only just begun.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Recently on a train in Scotland with my 2 children visiting the grandma and papa ( they have been raised in England where I work as PO so have English accents) when a young male started singing about FEBs......so you've touched a nerve anon 10:22 . Let's not start all this up again please.
    A PO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I must've been reading a different blog. What relevance the union has to the dominant topic, TR, is not/has not been apparent to me. We don't need any more reasons to piss each other off. We've all got a common foe - Grayling and now, er, Gove.

      Delete
    2. Your wrong 15:35 we have been divided defeated and ruled by privatisation of multiple employers. Napo failed on many fronts written and blogged. If you think it matters who is in charge of the change why its done. the tactics of defend ere a disaster wrong cost a fortune secret and outcomes claimed as a victory. The enemy is within from now on . When direct debit comes the loss of members and the money will be the reason they go. ???Yet a change of leadership might see the hopeful return to support a new fresh way. I would campaign for that but no way can we sell the current shower to hold members given what they have been saying. Check off will see the final battle.

      Delete
  21. Try to keep going Jim ,if you can.I am into my 10th month gone and have found work elsewhere.My thoughts are with former colleagues on both sides of the great divide now created.I find I have little to say that can be of consolation,neither am I able to offer fresh or more positive takes on what has happened to the service.
    Ex Anon SPO No 2

    ReplyDelete
  22. Please keep our life support going Jim !

    ReplyDelete
  23. Jim - unlike many things I have had to endure in the probation world over the last few years, including the current CRC/NPS debacle, this blog IS fit for purpose. Chapeau!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I think what Jim Brown is saying is that he rather people use the blog and demonstrate its value, than all these please stay on. In any case, I am sure he would prefer us to debate the issues he puts out in the blog.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Who here has the minerals to oust Lawrence? Who is actually going to challenge Lawrence and start a due process motion to oust him.....? Talk is cheap. If it's really time for change, who has the minerals to make this happen?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can you tell me how?

      Delete
    2. Napo is in difficult with Ian Lawrence. He's an accidental GS, based on circumstances. What we really need is to rebuild the union. Take it to a direction with integrity, something which the current GS doesn't appear to have.
      Anon at 22:15 (1 June) : what is Napo toying with the National Reps?

      Delete
    3. Tough one that POs will only vote for a PO and Napo hardly represents PSOs if ever properly so it may as well be anyone as long as they really start to tell members the truth. We are fed up with the Lawrence grandstanding delivering nothing. All hard talk as his default position. It generates a moment of applause and gives false hope. He is not sincere.

      Delete