Vote to strike in probation; Vote against the Cafcass pay offer!

Adam Harmsworth, Napo National Vice-Chair Family Courts, personal capacity

From the start, the AGM of Napo (trade union for probation and Cafcass workers) had a fiery mood, driven by members’ anger over poor pay offers and ongoing high workloads in probation and Cafcass (family courts).

Both national chair Ben Cockburn and general secretary Ian Lawrence urged probation members to vote for industrial action in the ballot that opened on Monday 19 October.

Ben stressed that Napo has been left with no other option. Probation bosses and the Labour government have ignored the anger of probation workers and the unions for years, instead leaving the service grossly underfunded and understaffed. The early release of prisoners just weeks before the AGM, worsening workloads and the stress and exhaustion of staff, only added to members’ anger.

Several probation leadership figures addressed the conference, including the Chief Inspector of Probation, an HMPPS (HM prisons and probation service) Deputy Director, and interim Director of Probation HMPPS, who all agreed to take questions too. The Lord Chancellor, Alex Norris MP, also addressed the AGM, possibly the first time a Lord Chancellor has in the union’s history. Napo’s ballot and media campaign clearly got their attention!

Members’ anger not appeased

But if these senior figures thought they could appease members’ anger, they were mistaken. Norris repeatedly told AGM that he had been a Unison rep and was a lifelong trade unionist – reminiscent of Starmer’s line about his mother the nurse and his father the toolmaker! Norris was trying to act like ‘one of us’ while also talking about ‘difficult decisions’. Members grilled him and the probation bosses, making it very clear they didn’t buy any of the excuses for poor pay and worse work conditions.

The interim Director of Probation HMPPS, Jim Barton, was laughed at from the floor for repeatedly claiming probation leadership cares about its staff. From official figures – likely far lower than the reality – workloads are at 118% capacity and there is a shortage of 3,500 staff. Nothing has been done to end the culture of bullying and discrimination in HMPPS.

The AGM had a panel discussion on workplace safety, after some serious recent attacks (including life-threatening) in probation offices led Napo to demand more be done to protect staff. A young Napo branch chair who was the victim of an assault at work was among those on the panel. His speech about HMPPS failing staff raised the temperature and helped solidify the anger of members.

Members do only have one option left to get any immediate improvement in probation or in Cafcass – we have to fight. Both the consultative ballot on the Cafcass pay offer of 3.23% and the industrial action ballots for probation on pay and workloads are now open. Vote against the Cafcass pay offer, vote to strike in probation, and build the industrial campaign to win funding off the government.

 A successful ballot by Napo, along with civil service union PCS which is balloting at the same time, could be a lever to push more of the trade union movement into action – including the other probation unions who should join the fight!

Napo should also join the voices urging the Trades Union Congress to set a date for a national demonstration against austerity. More unions fighting together to demand public sector funding is restored could force serious concessions from the Burnham government. It’s time the trade unions led the way in locking up austerity for good!