From today's blog by the Napo General Secretary:-
New threat emerges to CRC jobs
It’s very clear that a number of CRC owners are having some difficulty with NOMS over the impact of the Weighted Annualised Volumes (WAVS). This is the measure which shows the actual numbers of clients on the CRC's books (which NOMS says are falling drastically in some areas) and are a key component of the complex payment mechanism that helps to determine how much tax payers money the CRC contractors can claim for the services they provide. It’s a priority issue that we have brought to the attention of Liz Truss, and it was also the main topic of discussion between the unions and the project lead for the Probation Systems Review when we met a couple of weeks back.
One could easily write a book called ‘We told you so’, but the more important point is that lower WAVs equals less money which equals less need for staff. If whatever discussions that are going on between NOMS/MoJ and the privateers fail to arrive at a solution for the expected funding shortfall, then the earlier reductions (or planned reductions!) in CRC staffing will look modest compared to what may happen down the line in some parts of the CRC estate.
We have tabled Parliamentary questions to try and heap more pressure on the decision makers, and have told the Secretary of State that the money which has been set aside for the hoped for payment by results (PbR) dividend payable in late 2017 (which was the main incentive to encourage the privateers to invest in the CRC contracts) needs to be utilisednow. That’s a view we seem to share with the largest CRC owners so let us hope they (and their competitors) take up the offer we have been making with them for several months to join us in common cause and do something to help their staff instead of their shareholders.
As has been said many times before, it’s not the fault of hard pressed CRC employees (who never voted for privatisation but find themselves working in a climate of increasing uncertainty), that this situation has occurred. As I see it the choice is simple for the CRC owners: find the money to prevent an irretrievable collapse of service provision or hand the CRC keys back.
We will get more news to you as soon as we can, but meanwhile I make absolutely no apologies for saying that membership of Napo is paramount in the face of this new threat to jobs. In the land of the CRC, union density is the best protection that we have if we want to improve our bargaining position with these people.
What I can't understand is that our offices are full of Temps, in all areas of the business. How if we cannot do without temps be then put in a position where our jobs are at risk because of the WAVs payments.
ReplyDeleteTake it from someone who knows. Don't believe a word of this crap. He just trying to drum up business by scare mongering
DeleteHow dare you! The general secretary is spot on and he is going to work through the issues and protect members. We support him as this situation dictates and Ian has a clear grasp of the scenarios that are being orchestrated . Ian Lawrence deserves some respect right now so shove off you stirring game players.
Delete22.09 thank you.i am laughing my head off. Lawrence has a steer on things. Brilliant. Top class comedy.if you believe in him so much then good for you
Delete18.31 - you allegedly 'know' but you don't elaborate on what you know. So if you know, state what you know or shut up. Maybe you know nothing except how to hurl abuse.
ReplyDeletewell said.
DeleteBelieve me I know. WAV was sorted out last financial year.WAV will not even be applicable when fee for service is replaced by reducing reoffebding early next year. Even if WAV was applicable there just move all mappa 2 cases over, get rid of rsr etc so more cases go to the crc. You don't have to worry about wav
DeleteHe is not scare mongering. The risk is real to CRC staff in WL areas.
ReplyDeleteWorking Links have destroyed all the safe working and decent activities that we used to do and our office is in meltdown today .
DeleteIn our area Officers are all holding nearly 100 cases.We all knew the implications of the numbers game and how geographically areas would differ. I think we all have enough to contend with trying to get through the day job than continually being force fed the rhetoric of the keys being handed back. Too much has been thrown at TR and whilst its all very frustrating and uncomfortable for us, all that's needed by the privateers in these areas of low numbers is a merge. I tend to agree with 18.31
ReplyDeleteOur WL office also in meltdown WL have absolutely no idea what they are doing.
ReplyDeletethey do they want to get rid of all our skills . Rid all the staff sell off the locations rid the support staff sell off assets close offices lose any entitlements change any jobs and eventually take the profits and cash out the Germans love them.
ReplyDeleteMore than one CRC looking to reverse engineer the process to get out of what are increasingly toxic contracts for them especially when the 'Reducing re-offending algorithim' kicks in next year...it will only take one to figure it out and the dominoes will fall....
ReplyDeleteNo one getting out of anything. Money will be made
DeleteNowt new under the sun. The WAV "crisis" was explicit & being used against staff last year. This from the letter sent by Wiseman to Peros in Dec 2015:
Delete"Whilst the Working Links Way is focused on improving the business and the quality of service for customers and service users, employees of the Company may be affected by some of these changes. In addition, the Company is also facing an unexpected challenge caused a reduction in WAV as it is becoming clear that the current WAV is less than the projected WAV which Working Links were informed about during the Transformation Rehabilitation bidding process.
As a result of the way that the TR contract has been commissioned, the challenges we face working in a PBR environment, a drop in service users and doubts over the position on the WAV band we are in a position where will need to find efficiency savings of up to 40%."
So if the figures were so wrong, why can't staff transfer to NPS. With full terms and conditions of course.
ReplyDelete