I believe this joint statement from Napo, Unison and GMB was sent to members on Tuesday:-
Further statement to members
re the proposal by Working Links to reduce Voluntary Redundancy Terms
Working Links last week issued proposals to run a Voluntary Redundancy (VR) Scheme on inferior terms to the Enhanced Voluntary Redundancy Scheme that has been made available to some staff.
Despite a claim that this has been the 'subject of consultation' this has not been negotiated or agreed to by the trade unions who have rejected the proposals.
The decision to offer this and the wider issue of the planned job cuts, have now been referred to the Joint Secretaries of the National Negotiating Council and Standing Committee of Chief Officer Grades, to whom the unions and employers will be making further representations tomorrow.
The probation unions met in Cardiff today to review the situation that we have reached in our ongoing dispute with Working Links.
Our clear advice to members is to not respond to the VR invitation until we issue more news. This is on the basis that firstly, we do not agree to the notion of job cuts, or have any faith in the intended operating model, and that the contractors should pay what they owe to staff who may want to leave the organisation using the best redundancy policy across their three CRC’s. This is especially important since no employee asked to be put in this position as a result of the dreadful Transforming Rehabilitation agenda.
Tomorrows meeting in London of the NNC/SCCOG Joint Secretaries will help the unions to formally record our view that consultation and negotiation have been inadequate (or even totally absent) should opportunities arise for third party intervention or legal action down the line.
Stand united against further job cuts
The probation unions do not believe that steps should be taken to reduce jobs whilst we still await the results of the important Probation Systems Review which will be seeking to address the underperformance of CRC contractors.
The unions want an end to the dispute so that we can have genuine dialogue about creating new opportunities for our members to improve services to clients and see their skills utilised to turn lives around as opposed to them being thrown on the employment scrapheap.
If WL and other CRC contractors cannot deliver what they purchased then they ought to give serious consideration to handing the keys back to the MoJ.
The foregoing indicates why it is important to stick with or join a trade union and be part of our combined campaign against further job cuts in Working Links.
The day a napo rep. Gets off their lily white ass and makes an effort to come and meet me and the team and have a look at how we are having to work at the so called working links hub ( library ) is the day i re-join!
ReplyDeleteHave you asked them to? Have you reported your concerns? Reps may be many things but mindreaders ain't one of them.
DeleteDeb
It's not the Napo rep whose lazy, but you. If you have a problem in your workplace, you should build a collective grievance – and then seek union support and representation. Your complaint about the union smacks of dependency and powerlessness. We advise clients to take responsibility and stand on their own two feet: give it a try, you'll discover that a union is the sum of its parts.
DeleteWe pay subs so you work for us. You need to get of your ass and earn your money like we do ours. The union is raking it in and now napo want me to do all the work. Fat chance
Delete7.49 that's racist. Why a white ass. Napo also has reps of different backgrounds, not just white!!
DeleteLocal Reps are elected to role by their local branch. They don't get paid to do the work they do, and much of it is done in their own time.
DeleteDeb
14.43 for the pc brigade 'black ass' if you prefer that..or multi hued ass or red, gold and green ass for the ultra pc militants out there. I am trying to make a point that if napo want more members they need to make an effort to come out to us and look for business just like anyone else looking to basically sell a product would do. This is what i hear from staff so i am feeding it back. If napo can't take this plus the 'lily white ass' comment then they can continue to sit on their multi toned and multi shaped asses til the end of probation as we know it. No skin off my ass!
DeleteTrolls out to play again I see.
DeleteMate you got a thing for area. This is the wring forum for you. This is for people moaning about work and bring called a troll if you criticise the left wing agenda
Delete18.40. Whatever point you are making, sit on it, it will give you more pleasure.
DeleteJim since privatisation we've now got staff who are simply put idiots. Anyone not not social work qualified are not fit for purpose
DeleteLocal reps don't do enough. Neither do top brass napo. Napo on the down
DeleteI'm offended by your remark 1902, I'm not SW trained but do my job as do many others. Stop the in fighting and channel displeasure where it belongs with Tory Government and MOJ.
Deletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-37569876
ReplyDelete'Getafix'
Probation services in Kent delivered by the National Probation Service (NPS) are under strain from "chronic" staff shortages, a watchdog has warned. HM Inspectorate of Probation found performance of the service, managing high risk offenders, was "noticeably poor" compared with other areas.
DeleteInspectors said they were concerned not enough was being done to protect the public from risk of harm.
The probation service said an action plan for improvement was under way. The inspectorate said staff at all levels worked hard, but there was a "vicious circle" of low staff numbers, difficulties in attracting experienced probation officers, and an over-reliance on agency and new staff.
In 2014, the government replaced probation trusts in England and Wales with 21 community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) which manage low and medium risk offenders. The inspectorate examined probation services delivered in Kent by the National Probation Service South East and Eastern division, as well as the relevant CRC. The report praised the performance of the CRC, saying it had "made a really good start".
Chief Inspector of Probation, Dame Glenys Stacey, said: "Although there are still some areas for improvement, CRC leaders and staff had got on with the job in hand without being unduly deflected by organisational change. The NPS is in a quite different position, struggling due to chronic and significant staff shortages. This puts unrelenting and unacceptable pressure on local leaders and staff working to protect the public and deliver probation services consistently and to the right standard."
She urged the Ministry of Justice to "urgently redress the clear shortfall in staffing" in Kent.
Suki Binning, chief executive of Kent, Surrey and Sussex Community Rehabilitation Company, said: "KSS CRC's overall development and delivery of services was judged by the inspectors as impressive in many respects. They were particularly pleased with our commitment to working with individuals fully in planning their own route away from crime."
It seem KsS doing great thongs following nigel Bennett abrupt departure. Suki has turned things around it appears ?
DeletePositive HMIP inspection report for KSS CRC
ReplyDelete6 October 2016
http://ksscrc.co.uk/news-positive-hmip-inspection-report-for-kss-crc-
Kent, Surrey and Sussex CRC has received a positive report from HM Inspectorate of Probation for their work in Kent.
DeleteThe Inspectorate visited Kent in July 2016 to review the quality of probation work carried out by KSS CRC, who work with low to medium risk offenders and also by the separate public sector body, National Probation Service South East, who work with high risk offenders.
KSS CRC’s overall performance was acknowledged to be ‘among the best of any CRC nationally’ and the inspectors were particularly impressed with KSS CRC’s ‘commitment to working with individuals fully in planning their own route away from crime’. The Inspectorate’s report also notes that at the time of inspection KSS CRC was almost fully staffed and in fact employing more practitioners than when the service was outsourced, with no downsizing programme and that overall KSS CRC’s development and delivery is ‘impressive in many respects’.
The Inspectors did identify that the delivery of certain programmes and Unpaid work by KSS CRC has been affected by problems recruiting to our vacant posts. We can confirm progress has been made in all these areas since the Inspectors’ visit in July – Unpaid Work stand-downs and programme waiting times have reduced.
The latest inspection results demonstrate a significant improvement over the past two years. The Inspectorate says KSS CRC is showing clear signs of improvements in areas previously identified in their 2014 inspection of the former probation trust for Kent as weak.
Merseyside CRC is in an absolute mess, how it's flown under the inspectorate radar is a mystery - upw; IT connectivity, lack of admin and the white elephant that is called the (un)professional centre all making the job next to impossible.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the good ship Yvonne Thomas is aware that she has the bizzare situation of a Receptionist who has no access to any IT has to have the Duty officer next to her/him fielding calls which the receptionist takes , then asks the duty officer to check who the case manager is then, if that information is available should the IT work,, then pass the info on. In effect the duty officer is reduced to being a receptionist assistant and has no time to cover his/her own case load..... You could not make this up.. Yvonne, please ask questions from you own senior Managers because they are not going to tell you.. Chris Edwards .. you have seen this mess, so please at least give your staff a fighting chance...... It has come this far to use this blog to circumnavigate senior managers who will not tell you how bad it really is... Frustrated of MCRC........
DeleteIt is starting to unravel pretty quickly in bgsw crc! Keep posted because the main cuts are still to come.
ReplyDelete