UNISON and Napo probation workers in day of protest over pay

  Probation staff in England and Wales, who work for the National Probation Service (NPS) and the 21 privatised community rehabilitation companies (CRCs), are today (Friday) staging a day of protest to call for a long overdue pay rise. Their unions – Napo and UNISON – say that the 18,000 probation staff have been treated more harshly than other public sector workers, and received just a single 1% pay increase since 2009. Probation workers manage some of the most dangerous offenders in the community. They oversee their rehabilitation, and supervise and monitor them to keep local communities safe, say unions. UNISON and Napo say the government’s Transforming Rehabilitation reforms have seen a once high performing service abolished and replaced with two new partly privatised bodies. The two unions believe that staff employed by the NPS and CRCs have paid a high price as a result of these ‘disastrous’ probation reforms. Earlier this year, a report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation revealed that the private companies were ‘overstretched’ and ‘struggling’ to enforce community sentences being handed down by the courts. UNISON national officer Ben Priestley said: “The government’s attempt at reform has been nothing short of disastrous. Last year, ministers bailed out the failing privatised companies to the tune of £342m. Yet they can’t find a penny to increase pay for dedicated staff keeping the probation service going in extrem...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: News Press release ben priestley community rehabilitation companies napo national probation service pay Source Type: news