UNIONS PUSH BACK ON UNREALISTIC PLANS TO START UPW ON 1st JUNE
We reported last week that Napo and our Sister Unions are due to engage in National discussions about the jointly agreed measures that will be needed to support any changes to the EDM protocols.
Unfortunately we learned this morning of some communications issued to CRC leaders from HMPPS which requested them to implement increases in Unpaid Work Services with effect from 1st June. This information had not been shared or discussed with the trade unions and we immediately took this up directly with the Director General Probation.
Following this, a further communication was issued to CRC contractors which clarified the actual requirement for CRCs to start planning a recovery process which will involve consultation with local trades unions. Later today the Unions also demanded that an agreed set of principles must underpin our future discussions on recovery strategies.
Read the full joint unions statement here
Napo General Secretary Ian Lawrence adds: ‘This was an unfortunate mistake in messaging which will have caused CRC staff unnecessary anxiety. Our vigorous response demonstrates that Napo takes the issues impacting on CRC members just as seriously as those of our members across other employers.’
If you know of a colleague who is not a trade union member please encourage them to join Napo using the following link https://www.napo.org.uk/content/join-us
Napo HQ
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JTU16-20 27 May 2020
ADVICE TO CRC MEMBERS ON UPW RECOVERY PLANS
The probation unions were concerned to learn this week that HMPPS had issued a request to CRCs to restart Unpaid Work with effect from 1 June.
The HMPPS CRC contract management team wrote to CRCs this week in the following terms:
‘The imperative now is to commence increased delivery of services where it is practicable and safe to do so, and as such from the 1st June 2020 the Authority requires a ramping up of Unpaid work delivery across all CRC contracts. This is in-line with the easing of lockdown restrictions recently announced by the Government.’
The unions have complained about this surprise announcement to the Director General of Probation at HMPPS. We expressed our concern at the lack of consultation with the unions on the letter and the confusion and worry that this has caused to members working for CRCs.
As a result of the unions’ actions today, HMPPS has issued a correction to its initial request to the CRCs in the following terms:
‘For clarity, we are requesting; to be in line with the move to a next phase of relaxation of restrictions (from the 1st of June), the Authority would like for CRCs to start working towards the recovery of UPW achieving 25%. We acknowledge that the achieving of 25% will not be immediate as the logistics and notice period will need to play out first. We envisage the 25% being achieved within the first couple of weeks in June. Your Contract management Team of course remain on hand to discuss and locally driven challenges and nuances with you.’
The unions understand that this correction means that CRCs are actually being asked to incrementally re-start UPW with a view to achieving 25% over the first two weeks of June.
The unions have tabled the following principles as the basis for the recovery programme for UPW:
1. All CRC UPW recovery plans to be the subject of full consultation with trade unions
2. A jointly agreed UPW recovery risk assessment template, including the need for joint risk assessments with UPW beneficiaries, to be developed with the unions prior to the recovery process
3. Risk assessments of every proposed UPW project to be undertaken in association with the trade unions in line with the agreed template
4. At least 2 full weeks’ notice of the start of any UPW operations
5. Social distancing to be an integral guarantee of all recovery plans
6. Additional Trade Union facility time to provide for effective local trade union engagement on UPW recovery including workload relief
Members in UPW are therefore strongly advised to speak with their local Trade Union branch for advice if you are asked to undertake any work in connection with the implementation of UPW recovery.
Credit where its due - yes, even for napo - this is what unions are for.
ReplyDeleteI still hold a slightly old fashioned view, i.e. that's your job, napo, so no reason to strut & preen yourselves via PR. I didn't issue a press release whenever I completed a PSR or prosecuted a breach. ??Maybe that's why I [happily] remained a PO all my career??
But I have to accept its 2020 & *everyone* seems to strut & preen on social media for the slightest of achievements, e.g. buying a coffee, putting on clothes, waking up, etc.
Wonder what CRC/NPS will do if/when employees are required to isolate as a consequence of 'track&trace'. Given the nature of the work & the limited scope for social distancing some staff might have serial isolations to complete as part of their civic duty...
Strutting is in Napo general secretary Job description sadly being able is not.
DeleteI still don't understand why, if he was/is such an important cog in the government machine, Cummings wasn't missed while he was awol in Durham.
ReplyDeleteDoes the fact that Wales has a different Covid-19 regime, with no imminent large scale lifting of lockdown, count as "locally driven challenges and nuances" ?
ReplyDeleteThis is driven by politics and profit, not care for the population. Announcing schools reopening was political, its obviously not going to happen as the Unions -and parents- smelled a rat, and risk. So good on the Unions for pushing back on this one