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Today's Napo mailout:-

2020 - a year to forget, but Napo members excel in the face of the Pandemic

This year has presented our members with some of the most difficult personal challenges they are likely to face in their careers. Many of you will know of colleagues who have been victims of this dreadful Covid virus and some of you will have worked alongside those who have lost their lives in the most tragic of circumstances. We are sure that the thoughts of Napo members everywhere go out to the loved ones of those who are no longer with us.

Members

Our members across the National Probation Service, the CRC estate, Probation Northern Ireland and Cafcass have gone above and beyond the call of duty in order to maintain vital front line delivery to clients and service users and in many cases have unflinchingly done their job in situations where there is no other option than to conduct face to face interviews.

Let us also not forget the impact on our members who have been undertaking emotionally demanding work without the normal interface with immediate colleagues at their normal workplace, and sometimes in conditions at home which are far from ideal. Our appreciation is extended to those close to you for the support they have offered in such situations.

Napo Representatives

Throughout the last 10 months Napo’s team of volunteer local representatives have worked tremendously hard on behalf of all staff to work with all of the above employers to ensure that as high a standard of safety can be put in place by way of health and safety risk assessments for the workplace as well as those such as courts, police stations, approved premises and prisons, maintaining pressure on your behalf to make social distancing an imperative and not an option. The work of your local representatives in making all this happen (and especially those who have signed up to become new Health and Safety specialists and take part in our Health and Safety training) deserves a particular mention.

National Napo

Your elected Officers and Napo Officials have been regularly engaging with senior managers and politicians to ensure that those who make the decisions, or can influence others, have been left in no doubt whatsoever that the employer has a duty of care for their employees. Typically, this has seen your negotiators hold weekly meetings with senior leaders and those whom they have directed to establish Exceptional Delivery Models, or implement the latest health and safety instructions. As you would expect this has included discussion following the latest Tiering announcement (see latest news roundup below)

Whist there have inevitably been disagreements along the way, it’s fair to say that this work has been largely achieved in partnership with employers, who are themselves under pressure to deliver services in the face of sometimes unrealistic expectations from those in Government.

The future

The successive policy failures from the start of this pandemic have contributed to what is now widely considered to be a loss of control of the Pandemic by our Government. Neither has the crisis been helped by a sizeable minority of the population who have either ignored or are seemingly still oblivious to the threats of this deadly virus. That the UK has the worst infection and mortality rates in Europe is simply shameful.

Once again, Napo members have put themselves selflessly at the forefront of public service and have adopted a collective approach to the pressures they have been facing and can look back with immense pride on their contribution since the announcement of the pandemic.

Fortunately, hope looms with the launch of the mass vaccination process which presents the most obvious route out of the darkness. Nobody can be sure what the new normal will look like in four to six months, but its times like the ones we are going through now which inescapably prove the value of trade unions at a time of crisis.

This weekend’s announcement of new Tier 4 arrangements has all but destroyed the plans of millions of people to spend at least part of the next few days among families and friends. So wherever you are, we hope that you will be able to have a restful and safe holiday and that we can all soon look forward to better times ahead.

Contacting Napo over the festive holiday

If you should need urgent assistance over the festive holiday, and the issue cannot wait until the new year, please email officers@napo.org.uk with your contact details and the nature of your enquiry.

Ian Lawrence Katie Lomas
General Secretary National Chair