Napo Job Opportunity

Yesterday saw the usual Napo mailout to members and if you were of a cynical view you might be tempted to feel that advertising the post of General Secretary just before Christmas isn't really designed to encourage too many applicants:-

The law requires all union General Secretaries to submit themselves for re-election at least every five years. To comply with this regulation, an election must be held for the position of General Secretary of Napo before 30 June 2023.

In accordance with the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, Napo has appointed Civica Election Services of 33 Clarendon Road, London, N8 0NW as the Independent Scrutineer of the election.

The election process begins on Friday 16th December 2022 with the publication of the advert for the post of Napo General Secretary on the TUC, GFTU and Napo websites.

The election procedure and timetable are available here: Procedure Timetable

The advert containing full details for the post can be found here.

Please note that the incumbent will be standing for re-election.

For further details please contact the Office Operations Manager, Keith Waldron.

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Regular readers will recall that following some spirited discussion at the Eastbourne AGM, we discussed the intended timetable for the likes of 'hustings' should the union find itself in the position of receiving more than one applicant. If memory serves me correctly, on the last occasion of a contested election the incumbent declined to submit themselves to the process and therefore it could not proceed.    

General Secretary 

Salary: £76,288 to £88,579 pa exclusive of London Allowance (£4,729 pa). Pay award pending. 

The post holder is the senior elected employee of Napo and will need to provide strategic leadership across all of the union’s activities. Their role includes acting as the union’s principle national spokesperson and they are expected to lead on professional issues. In addition they will have responsibility for and where appropriate participate in negotiations relating to members’ salaries and conditions of service. 

The successful candidate will have a demonstrated track record within the trade union movement and it is desirable that they can demonstrate an understanding of the requirements of Napo’s professional status. 

If successful following election, the applicant will be required to take up the post on 1st July 2023 following a suitable handover period. Remote working / Hybrid working. Expectation of travel to some meetings where required. Please note that the incumbent will be standing for re-election. Closing date: 13th January 2023 Interviews: 23rd – 27th January 2023

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In other news:-

Unions meet with new Probation Minister 

The start of this week saw Napo and our sister trade unions attend an introductory meeting with Damien Hinds MP, the new Minister for Prison, Parole and Probation. As is usual in these engagements time was limited, but we were able to demonstrate just how passionate we are in retaining our profession; and our fundamental concerns about the current direction of the Probation Service's intentions to encapsulate Probation within 'One HMPPS'. We said that this invokes an overwhelming feeling of being subsumed by our important but very different value based Prison Service. The very fact that the 'One HMPPS' is the terminology being used, clearly outlines to those within, that we are not at One, we are different. We will challenge the 'one size fits all approach' which we know will simply not fit, will not recognise the individuals we work with, will not protect the public, and subsequently not reduce the number of victims - which as many of you continue to tell us, is core to the work we do and continue to do, day in and day out.

We heard from the Minister that the employer intends to commence consultation with the Trade Unions in the new year. We will stand firm and tall on behalf of our members, and will continue to implore the employer to recognise that this cost cutting project will result in significant costs to the value of the work you do. We are not resistant to change, we have continually evolved and reformed especially when the profession has felt that it is under attack. Yet, we will oppose the 'tick box culture' we are being expected to conform to.

Another main feature of the meeting was the unions combined resistance to the employers future intentions on Programmes and Interventions and the threat to public safety and the pay of our members if the current thinking evolves into final policy. In next week’s mail out we will provide a comprehensive narrative as to why this second big campaign is so vital to our members future, and our developing efforts with the Labour Party to convince them of the dangers around such a move, if they are successful in the next General Election.