Napo at Work in the South West 26

As always, thanks to the reader for forwarding the following:-

SSW Branch AGM Report 2018 -19

Reporting on the most significant year since the flawed TR fiasco started we have seen the end of the single worst failure of privatisation. We cheered at the end of the Working Links occupation. Sadly, however, immediately replaced by the Seetec contractor instead of placing DDC into a potential Govco arrangement, only missing out by a few months or so under specific contract terms. The new contractors appear to manage with the same ideologies only wrapped up in a lot of self–praise as their way in pretending to be good for the area. Not quite Panto season but “oh no they aint.” A rotten start day 1 with attacks on terms and conditions from an agenda that continues to suppress members’ wages and avoid fair workloads or genuinely seek any resolutions. To protect members from the excessive pressures. Napo and combined unions will be exploring what actions we should take as workloads and a pay dispute continue. What a great start they have failed to make.

In June 18 we saw the report on the Debentures at Companies House that really signalled the beginning of the aggressive financial battles going on behind the scenes of Working Links and their owner the Aurelius’ group. Hardly surprising as the region had recently received another government bail out of 4 million that disappeared. It started the speculation trail that NAPO reported on and kept a watching brief, all the signs of a company in distress started to get worse, holding onto staff expenses and general non payments of bills. CP vans stuck at the roadsides without any recovery insurance, vehicles without road tax or fuel cards refused at payments, a decline in standards from the public services we were once proud of and under private ownership could never see performance anywhere near what we once were.

In July 18 we heard of the announcements to cut the contracts 2 years earlier than planned. The Government failures all too obvious as violent crime went up, repeat offending climbing and the abysmal performance of split probation all too painfully commented upon by the PAC. The contractors’ time was shortened but their failures in delivering was the real reason. Ironically they still do not appear to appreciate it is the way they chose to manage that has accelerated the demise of TR. Napo SSW had already predicted the end was likely. We have a great team able to work cohesively and have seen so much decline it cannot bottom out much further. Our team have campaigned on many fronts to help accelerate the end of TR.

Napo SSW is pleased to report that we have made efforts and continue to do so to see the contracts ended early. We have led on many campaign fronts

• The regional dispute
• The Parliamentary evidence
• Plymouth Council motion
• Campaign of role protections.
• Non variations on our contracts roles and terms.
• Collation of the catalogue of secrets public risk issues failures and collusions of the Working links way.
• Non compliance with lawful requirements in relation to health and safety vehicles and a range continued failings.

and we will continue to do so.

This excerpt from the July branch report fits nicely as this remains the position under the new contractor Seetec. The name over the door may well have changed but the same old tune is playing. The announcement of the Wales case management return to NPS a year earlier was also introduced at the same time.

By November 2018 having been very busy myself in a serious personalised dispute with the NAPO Chairs et al which resulted in our victory at the Certifications Officer on all four counts of the complaint. I thank Dave Rogan and my team who, as usual work tirelessly and supportively for the benefit of the SSW branch. It was a bleak period having such inappropriate leadership in the Union but you don’t really get what you think you vote for.

The winter saw some major developments with the parliamentary committee recommendations coming through with an order to the MOJ which reinstates 1-1 case work minimum service contacts . It was not as though Working Links did not have enough financial trouble, they were now told to deliver the requirements without any more cash. Their` usual high squeak whining “we need more money” directed at the MOJ was going to fall on deaf ears. They scurried around suggesting the requirements did not actually require a full 30 minutes 1-1 time. In panic their pathetic approach to reconcile 1-1 requirements after they had removed most of the staffing was an impossible task. Still there is no agreed workload calculations or proper running of the process agreed with the Unions. The passing across of the staff from the ridiculous call centre model to now deliver a new role was just another Working Links fiasco. While the call centre signs were still on the walls in offices the call centres are effectively now as dead as the Monty Python Parrott.

By December 18 and through to March so much was going on. I was reporting that the flurry of legal arguments being played out at Companies House made it fairly clear that Working Links will be gone in less than a few months. I was hoping weeks at the time but now with hindsight wish they had survived another few months so that our contract remaining period would have gone to a Govco than the extending our aggravations with another clutch on for cash company. More expensive unskilled and non vocational management is just part of the same TR mess that has continued to ooze its journey while we are all too polite in pointing out just how failed it is and needs arresting now. Aurelius sold Working Links to a debt company and announcing the news on their website. Whilst MOJ were caught napping again, denying the claims, yet the news was out. They looked weak for their efforts and throughout the year we have seen their game change with a massive overhaul of MOJ key players. Let’s hope the new team deliver ideas that really save probation staff by putting Probation Officers back into public service where they are genuinely needed and required, whilst saving fortunes by dismissing the remaining structure in the form of privatised management companies.

In the same period the HMIP report was being finalised and kept a closely guarded secret. That was a clear signal to brace up as it was to be as bad as it could get in my experience. Napo have no sympathy for some of the most senior management and Working Links directors. None of these people are with us anymore. They had led the way to what has become the worst HMIP report ever. Delivered by an appalling operating model, the ongoing dispute on the pay deal for staff. Where were the contract managers? What were they being paid for?

By February the game was up Working Links, finally succumbing to their plight and their grip on the contract going to the insolvency court. Handing back the keys we were pleased to hear. We in NAPO had some air punching and celebrations at the end of the Working Links Directorships. They could no longer continue their plan to impose redundancies which they could never fund given the protections of the collective agreement held tightly as a protected agreement for the DDC area. They were gone and Seetec rock up with a load of promises and still no real delivery. Same old same old.

As the news was announced those old call centre signs and the Working Links logos were reportedly savagely stripped from the walls in an act of frustration, anger and relief that saw some staff get some satisfaction for being able to pull down the signs of oppressive management and the end of an aggressive structure that failed from the get go. Good riddance Links and the nature of your management style leaves a nasty stain on all the staff they stole money, terms and entitlements from. The final consequence for the publication in March of the worst HMIP report on record saw the end of the career of the Chief Officer. Without his endorsement and complete loyalty to the Working Links fiasco they could not have done so much damage. His end was fitting amazingly he was alone in paying the price for his collective failures.

The recent few months have seen the Unions messed around by Seetec with only 3 meetings the first of which was irrelevant no more than a hello get together and the remaining two about terms and pay. The Seetec approach is disorganised. They are playing the delay game. The CEO only turning into a meeting on the basis of the excuses and cancellations have to dry up at some point. No decent offer on pay despite a well delivered presentation on the unions’ claim by the NAPO General Secretary. The Seetec group did not even have the courage to face the union side to tell us and even though I doubt they have any authority, they just focus on issues that will do working relations more damage than venture into taking any constructive way forwards as we have seen with no progress on moratoriums and staff protections. This year will be even more complex and with the end game in sight just over the next year we hope to see a change of political direction and all bets are off. We hope in any case to see the campaign won in complete removal of the wasted money on unnecessary pay and now superfluous contractors who should be looking elsewhere for finance instead of stripping government’s contracts and making the probation services fail. Nothing more saddening.

The news coming this spring that the contracts for case management will also be ceased has left Seetec holding the can for a CRC in a mess without them implementing an immediate action plan to deal with the serious HMIP report. In the short to mid term they will have very little left or the support from staff (our members) as the contract continues to decline on a daily basis.

In relation to the DDC area’s SSW branch our struggle will continue no matter what. We are committed to NAPOs reunification campaign having achieved most of what we set out to do. We just have to make the case for interventions and CP and when we win that battle too we can all look inwardly and start the real repair process to put probation back at the top of its game like we were once enabled to do.

It is a tough time right now to be a trade unionist and the last few years have taken some effort. This SSW branch despite the attacks received and some rubbish or pathetic commentary on social media from those who really know little. This branch has prevented mass additional dismissals with the protections we have fought for in our collective agreements. With the knowledge and efforts of the executive this area would been a much worse place for staff than we currently suffer. For that energy strength and unity and as a team it is important to recognise the Stirling efforts of the NAPO SSW branch members. Each and every member of the Executive standing their ground, protecting terms and investing personal time in the union’s work.

As Chair of the SSW my personal thanks go to our team, my respects and our members extended this also. This branch has maintained our position consistently and will continue to do so just so long as our NAPO members require us and whatever that takes. The future is looking better and we also thank the PAC and NAO report for having the foresight to drive through what’s required to try and fix probation. Top of the team the General Secretary’s level and the pan unions group. Together we are stronger and together we will do our best to ensure the scourge of TR is finally extinguished.

Dino Peros 

NAPO SSW Branch Chair