Napo Opposes HMPPS Plans to Remove Access to the Workload Measurement Tool
Napo has strongly opposed HMPPS plans to withdraw practitioner access to the Workload Measurement Tool, warning the move undermines staff safety, workload management and employer accountability. This week HMPPS have advised staff of its plans to withdraw practitioner access to the Workload Measurement Tool (WMT), in advance of its removal in several months.Napo has not agreed to these changes
We have been made aware of several untrue and incorrect statements having been made by regional senior managers to the effect that Napo, and other trade unions, have agreed to this. We have not and will not agree to these plans. It is now for any individual who has made these statements – whether out of ignorance or malice – to urgently account to staff why they have done so, retract their comments and apologise to their colleagues.
In earlier discussions that took place with the trade unions, Napo representatives have clearly and repeatedly explained to HMPPS figures the hugely negative impact their plans would have on the staff involved, and more widely in the workforce.
During these exchanges HMPPS have admitted for the first time that for a significant period the WMT underestimates the workload of the staff involved. They have failed to publicly acknowledge this in their communications on the future of the WMT, making only vague, and frankly misleading, comments on its accuracy.
These plans completely disregard previous agreements made between the employer and the trade unions on staff safety and care. HMPPS appear clueless as to how they now intend to meet their legal duty of care to monitor and manage individual workloads, for ‘sentence management’ staff and all other employees. They cannot adequately explain how they plan to provide workload reductions for staff requiring these, for instance as reasonable adjustments or as facility time for trade union representatives.
Despite claiming to value the importance of staff and their wellbeing, HMPPS have completely failed to ensure that an adequate mechanism to monitor and manage the workload of staff. HMPPS claim to have been aware that the Workload Measurement Tool (WMT) under-reports on the workload of staff but has not communicated that to its employees. They tell us that they have known that this will become worse due to changes planned under the employer’s heavily criticised and under-delivering Our Future Probation Service (OFPS) programme have not yet made sufficient plans to have a replacement in place.
Napo have, for months, been calling on HMPPS to agree to the joint ownership of the Workload Measurement Tool (WMT), including on any future version of this tool, and for its application to as many other workers outside of ‘sentence management’ as possible at the earliest opportunity.
We believe this is the only way for staff to have any confidence on this issue, given HMPPS’s consistent inability to adequately protect us in this regard, and be open and honest with us. Napo will now include demands for positive change, and a completely different approach by the employer, in relation to workload measurement and management.
We will be responding to a letter sent by the employer yesterday after they had decided to enact these changes, regarding industrial action in response to their failure to resolve our longstanding workloads dispute.
Napo HQ
I don’t know any other public sector workers who are treated with such contempt
ReplyDeleteThis is part of the gradual deprofessionalisation of Probation. However without well supported unions, professional associations, and institutes we struggle to look enough like a profession to resist this. It isn’t someone else’s problem it is one shared by everyone who calls Probation their profession. Those who have attacked Napo and the Probation Institute as vehemently as they have done should be ashamed.
ReplyDeleteI could be in that group but am no way ashamed.
DeleteIt is Napo incompetence and the pathetic grayling institute that has led us here.
Foolishly Napo placed the inus on staff last month to agree a pay deal and reorganisation to accompany it.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing but it was also stated in this blog buying a black bag in a fire sale is fraught with danger. When the employers negotiated the fall of our terms through scandalous pay delay and the Napo desperate acceptance to reorganisation what the hell did Napo think the employers were meaning. Or going to do. The employer knew it was to do this trick shortly and frankly it was predicted Napo ignored it and you all waived in the deal and this agreement will stand for the employer.
We can bounce the ball over health safety workloads and monitoring but the employer won't care . They will see officers at their desks for 39 hours per week and breaks will be one a valuable need. The factory
Will have targets Nd some staff will falter. That is a trigger to see who can be let go as AI helps reduce costs in staffing.
Napo will only now do what it does best feign a big noise talk about bad employer faith over a wmt that neither side used properly and besides it was already broken by the previous AG's who is an idiot and Mr Lawrence equally as thick for the role he holds it is a real joke on us.
Wmt used to be the workloads and employee care agreement . Wpec this original document protected staff way beyond workloads and help in workload reduction based on the actual capacity and indeed difference in staffing abilities to ensure all staff could have real manageable protection. Once that was re negotiated to wmt the film flam never saw many staff receive reduction or protection. As long as Mr Lawrence leads Napo this is another faux hill he will pretend to climb for members but as clear as day he will find a way to capitulate and members will have to wear it . That 2 percent pay deal he helped push through don't look so attractive in this new light does it?
Napo needs a real new leader as probation has lost everything under this fool and if we haven't learned anything yet after the pay deal last then we deserve what's next.