Oct 14, 2022
Probation Union conference 2022 opens in Eastbourne
I have been to Napo conferences at Eastbourne previously so it seemed we had chosen a smaller venue within the conference complex. This probably reflected that we are now a hybrid event and that the tradition of conference-going has reduced.
Each Napo Annual General Meeting (AGM) tells you something about the Probation workforce and their relationship with their union. We were coming to the conference having recently heard the result of a ballot on the pay deal. Napo had advised its members to vote against but the majority voted to accept the offer. What did this indicate, a beleaguered workforce who were unable to hold out for a better deal or one that thought it was a fair deal and accepted it?
It seems whatever the result it had raised Napo’s profile within the staff attracting an influx of new members. Nonetheless, Napo's books continue to report a deficit meaning that the Reserves plug the gap. Napo has changed and will continue to change as it responds to the challenge of engaging with a changing workforce who have yet to fully experience the value of belonging to a trade union.
Katie Lomas chair of Napo gave her farewell speech having served 4 years as Vice-chair and another 4 as chair.
Jo Sidhu former chair of the Criminal Bar Association enlightened me when he reported the issues around the recent strike by Barristers. Would I have believed that junior barristers receive an average annual income of £12, 200 equivalent to £6:25 an hour if I hadn't heard it from him? I like most of the population had a perception that any barrister whether criminal or not was ‘well heeled’. The strike was around the underfunding of Criminal Barristers which has led to an exodus from the profession and with it a less robust Criminal Justice system. They succeeded in getting a better offer which their members narrowly accepted. It showed when people work together they can make a change.
Liz Saville Roberts MP and co-chair of the Justice Unions’ Parliamentary Group amongst the many things she reported informed us that a special research group in the Ministry of Justice had informed MPs that they had found that accommodation, employment and education were key factors in offending. This was said perhaps to highlight the disconnect that there is between those at the top and those practising. Most practitioners indeed Parliamentarians have known this fact since the inception of Probation. The idea that those at the top would think this was a great discovery highlighted the gulf.
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Writing as he does but also as a member of Napo
