tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post258538341212220898..comments2024-03-28T07:32:23.397+00:00Comments on On Probation Blog: CRC Dispute - Latest 2Jim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-4405083335935574282016-09-21T23:44:21.013+01:002016-09-21T23:44:21.013+01:00Strike action is a last resort but I feel Working ...Strike action is a last resort but I feel Working Links staff have reached this point. The employers will walk all over the staff, as did Sodexo, so learn from this episode and don't let it happen to you. Don't rely on any union assistance other than making them (for legal reasons)call the strike. Insist on it and don't worry about the impact a strike may have on your clients - the vast majority will be on your side. Get yourselves in the newspapers and let the general public know what is really happening .......but it needs a strike to get anyone's' attention. Good luck. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-70256667065120006282016-09-21T01:46:18.325+01:002016-09-21T01:46:18.325+01:00If employers see a surge in union membership bucki...If employers see a surge in union membership bucking the general trend then they will sit up and take notice as will MoJ/NOMS as their game plan relies on unions being in terminal decline and becoming increasingly less credible as representative of employees as membership plummets. Join a union, stand united, and strengthen our collective voice. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-71683050734278014102016-09-21T01:32:10.128+01:002016-09-21T01:32:10.128+01:00An unrecognised 'union' is simply a group ...An unrecognised 'union' is simply a group of disgruntled workers making demands and threats who employees don't have to listen to if they choose not to. They are keen for people to participate in employees councils etc as an alternative to union activity. A group of disgruntled workers prepared to take action who join a recognised union might have a chance of getting somewhere. Don't listen to employers propaganda and join a recognised union. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-39647650239668832302016-09-20T21:32:49.751+01:002016-09-20T21:32:49.751+01:00Well, I can assure you that some of us ARE standin...Well, I can assure you that some of us ARE standing firm and have never stopped fighting. Can I suggest one battle that can be won next week? EVERY NAPO MEMBER NEEDS TO GET TO AGM AND VOTE TO KEEP THE CURRENT NNC MACHINERY. Even if you only come for the day - MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!<br />PS It has been said before, but I for one am willing to contribute to a fund to pay for a test case.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-49695336723777001492016-09-20T21:11:19.601+01:002016-09-20T21:11:19.601+01:00There was no leadership from the unions when it ca...There was no leadership from the unions when it came to Sodexo and Macro (I really wish we didn't forget Nacro)! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-88286332791746847122016-09-20T21:07:11.330+01:002016-09-20T21:07:11.330+01:00Legal action will be listened to by the employer a...Legal action will be listened to by the employer and encourage more people to join the union. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-25147488498365692092016-09-20T20:18:29.423+01:002016-09-20T20:18:29.423+01:00That's dangerous and disgraceful. We have a PS...That's dangerous and disgraceful. We have a PSO starting with no experience. Used to work in a bank. What happens if there is an SFO with one of her cases. Lambs to the slaughter not cattle!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-65789924662642755122016-09-20T20:14:56.333+01:002016-09-20T20:14:56.333+01:00The Union should be fighting this. Untrained staff...The Union should be fighting this. Untrained staff working with Sex Offenders. IN Yorkshire we have admin doing PSO roles. They are being used until the recruitment comes and then guess what, admin again. No programmes for sex offenders unless they score high on RM 2000. Treating folks like cattle!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-17376185655002790292016-09-20T20:12:08.111+01:002016-09-20T20:12:08.111+01:00Sorry, meant PSOsSorry, meant PSOsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-15303917627018346202016-09-20T20:10:32.488+01:002016-09-20T20:10:32.488+01:00The PQOs are coming in the NPS to nick our jobs. W...The PQOs are coming in the NPS to nick our jobs. We have founded our own union in our office and we are refusing to train them. No observing is being agreed to at all. This is people power as they will never get any cases. I suggest all in the NPS fight this as they will take our jobs!! A union starts in the office you were with!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-87455579315837438542016-09-20T20:05:54.304+01:002016-09-20T20:05:54.304+01:00Sneaky and slippery yes men and women? Have a wo...Sneaky and slippery yes men and women? Have a word with yourself and don't be so rude about people. People who say yes may be too scared to say no. Or are too polite too. Not ruthless or rude. God I cannot stand people being so nasty to others. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-20829364877688551522016-09-20T18:38:12.646+01:002016-09-20T18:38:12.646+01:00As ever, its more complicated - "they know ho...As ever, its more complicated - "they know how to be victims" mght better be phrased as "they were set up to be victims". Sifted into CRC on data overseen by trust management wanting to 'cherry pick', left in communicado by the union for prolonged periods with no advice, threatened (witness-free) by local managers in one-to-one supervision that they'll be "managed out with nothing" if they didn't take the voluntary option, etc. The lack of a fight came about because faith in the unions rapidly waned, members left in droves & newer, non-union staff didn't understand or particularly care about the historical stuff - and why should they? They'd recently been given a relatively well paid PSO job with prospects, why screw it up? What was left of Napo membership were scattered to the four corners.<br /><br />I wish SW well with their fight.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-57664306737675955962016-09-20T18:31:16.940+01:002016-09-20T18:31:16.940+01:00Sad but true, except that in probation and the pub...Sad but true, except that in probation and the public sector it's usually the sneaky, slippery "yes" men/women that last the longest.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-6527601093544769932016-09-20T18:26:07.864+01:002016-09-20T18:26:07.864+01:00Actually the way to improve is by leading from the...Actually the way to improve is by leading from the front. Three years or so on from TR and nobody is leading Napo in and constructive direction. There well may be isolated pockets of resistance but as a union Napo is pants. Napo lost the fight and so it needs more than 'fighting talk' alone to incentivise the membership, current and prospective. <br /><br />The bottom line: Napo is readying to give up NNC protections, head office will be sold to boost IL's golden handshake, and while the his Exec chums are busy backslapping and waving their sabres, the NPS is busy downsizing and the CRC's are busy preparing to sell, restructure, sell, restructure!<br /><br />.... No theory in sight..Probation Officernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-74011583731417784172016-09-20T18:22:07.095+01:002016-09-20T18:22:07.095+01:00The Sodexo scam was as old as the hills. The frame...The Sodexo scam was as old as the hills. The framework agreement allowed for individuals to negotiate – and they did. There was no belly to fight and the local rep actually encouraged it. WL will seek to encourage individuals to do the same in the South West – and they probably will. It's a mistake to think there was an easy legal solution. The only possible solution lies in solidarity, but I expect what happened with Sodexo will be repeated, because Napo members don't know the meaning of solidarity, but they know how to be victims.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-47967364794205473612016-09-20T17:54:43.508+01:002016-09-20T17:54:43.508+01:00Unless you know something I don't, any potenti...Unless you know something I don't, any potential remedy lies in the workplace, not the courts. Putting faith in the courts is not where salvation lies. If it is to be found, it's in solidarity. But solidarity means individuals sticking together, not undermining each other or the union. Solidarity cannot be delegated to others, while you put your feet up and wait.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-2561165103707991732016-09-20T17:00:35.396+01:002016-09-20T17:00:35.396+01:00"Napo never went to the membership before sig..."Napo never went to the membership before signing the framework agreement, but on other occasions they look to a membership, which they know is apathetic, to soften a hard landing."<br /><br />Exactly so, and they procrastinated over the Sodexo scenario which allowed the employer to wrest control & offer voluntary severance on their terms. If the unions had taken one test case through the hoops then members would have had confidence in the unions, membership might have swelled instead of dwindling & the employers may well have had pause for thought. But no... and I note this is echoed elsewhere on today's blog:<br /><br />"If NAPO win one case against the employers confidence will be restored and the union membership will rise. Why can't the General Secretary see this and take legal action for us?"<br /><br />My suspicion is that despite the obvious strength of position for the unions (i.e. TR aint working as they had hoped & its all falling apart at the seams) Noms/MoJ have Napo (or Mr Lawrence?) in some kind of impossible headlock & will snap its neck unless Napo sits on its hands thereby allowing the CRCs to triumph with staff cuts at a price that suits them. The Sodexo areas were screaming "Don't Negotiate! We have EVR!"... look what happened.<br /><br />Otherwise why aren't Napo/Unison etc running rings around the CRCs? Admittedly the Sodxo scenario was a new one for many in the probation world; fear & loathing & bullying ruled and the voluntary severance scam won through. But we're a year on... Have the unions learned nothing?!? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-10403654705026790832016-09-20T15:19:37.915+01:002016-09-20T15:19:37.915+01:00Full circle except decent pay, working conditions ...Full circle except decent pay, working conditions and terms for staff. This is capitalism at its best, asset stripping and whipping flagging horses to death. If NAPO win one case against the employers confidence will be restored and the union membership will rise. Why can't the General Secretary see this and take legal action for us? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-82992445938699643762016-09-20T14:41:24.965+01:002016-09-20T14:41:24.965+01:00It is interesting to see how this is playing out. ...It is interesting to see how this is playing out. Noms sold them a pup. The Crcs thought they could save money on buildings, infrastructure, staffing. wav would be paid at a handsome rate and profits would come rolling in. <br />The realities are coming home, infrastructure changes aren't coming quickly enough for the savings to be made, buildings are more difficult to find and more costlier than they first anticipated and the wav has never materialised. <br /><br />The profit element needs to remain and this can only happen by even bigger cuts to staffing.<br /><br />Remember those under 12 month offenders well they are still offending at the same or similar rates so unlikely to see a fall in reoffending rates. <br /><br />Noms are currently reviewing measures as they don't make sense and thinking of returning to the tried and tested ways previously used. So everything has changed but it is heading full circle in the world of noms.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-85516001258959354102016-09-20T14:40:13.952+01:002016-09-20T14:40:13.952+01:00The enemy is at the door and you are worrying abou...The enemy is at the door and you are worrying about home improvements. Yes, there are issues that need addressing, but there is an imminent threat that calls for solidarity in the here and now, not in a utopian future. You should be urging solidarity instead of indulging in 'what ifs'.<br /><br />But maybe that's why there is never any bloody solidarity - because navel gazing is easier. You improve comradeship by practicing it, not theorising about it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-43347484516942830482016-09-20T14:31:30.558+01:002016-09-20T14:31:30.558+01:0012.09, your analysis is spot-on, because in the fi...12.09, your analysis is spot-on, because in the final analysis, after all the bulletins and meetings, and when the fundamental differences cannot be resolved, there are only two options: surrender and let the employers have a free hand to throw you out of work inadequately compensated, or fight this injustice through strike action. If you fight you have have to put to one side your individual differences, and how your situation compares with others, because these enable the employer to divide and rule. The sight no employer ever wants to see is a workforce united in opposition to their proposals. If you fight you may still lose, but what's the point in believing in anything, if, when the time comes to stand up for your beliefs, you walk away? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-66571333560515502742016-09-20T14:12:22.054+01:002016-09-20T14:12:22.054+01:00Napo membership is just too weak and too expensive...Napo membership is just too weak and too expensive. It's the most expensive Union on record but it's track record and member benefits are the worst. What it needs to do is drop the price to £10 per month, stop supporting the so-called Probation Institute, improve comradeship and support within probation and the membership, start making public and definitive but constructive statements against the probation shambles, and the members will roll in.Probation Officernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-53225072612392715102016-09-20T12:09:08.691+01:002016-09-20T12:09:08.691+01:00We need to do everything we can to encourage union...We need to do everything we can to encourage union membership and participation on this blog. The CRCs all have similar plans to downsize and reorganise and they are emboldened by apathy and the contempt shown by some towards union leaders. I sometimes wonder if it is the employers commenting to promote their own ends. Strong words are only backed up by numbers of union members and a solid commitment to take industrial action. The owners of probation services are counting on apathy, political sympathy, and low union strength to push through their agenda. The best opposition is to join or rejoin the union and stand firm. There is only strength in numbers and collective bargaining. Those relying on others to save them need to think again and be part of the solution rather than saying there is no point in joining a union and resistance is futile. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-62468573623345369462016-09-20T12:06:25.897+01:002016-09-20T12:06:25.897+01:00It seems clear that the employers are not in liste...It seems clear that the employers are not in listening mode. The unions are 'totally opposed' to job cuts but then leave WL room to prove that cuts are absolutely unavoidable. The parent company Aurelius are asset strippers – it's how they 'add value'. <br /><br />The unions plan to consult with members so views can be given to local and national representatives on next steps. Why they need to be advised about next steps seems a procrastination. Napo never went to the membership before signing the framework agreement, but on other occasions they look to a membership, which they know is apathetic, to soften a hard landing. <br /><br />It is obvious that there is only one step that could potentially give WL second thoughts – strike action. I am sure WL have calculated this is unlikely, as they only have to look at the ease with which other companies have got their way. Maybe the South West will prove the exception. Unless WL form the view that it's not going to be as easy as they thought to trample over the workers and cut out 40%, only then will negotiations become meaningful in any reasonable sense - but don't hold your breath as the South West story reaches its denouement.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-7368804924349993382016-09-20T10:43:35.732+01:002016-09-20T10:43:35.732+01:00They'll wriggle out of it just like Sodexo did...They'll wriggle out of it just like Sodexo did in N'bria. We also had EVR policies in place hence why they offered a severence, which is a different thing. Wouldn't hold your breath for EVR! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com