just read this inspiring article from the Institute of Employment Rights website
"Prof Keith Ewing, Institute of Employment Rights President
25 August 2011
Earlier this year, the TUC joined forces with unions elsewhere in the world in a display of solidarity with brothers and sisters in Wisconsin. The collective bargaining rights of public sector workers were being signed away by the Governor, in a State that once pioneered workers' rights.
US unions quickly realised that the use of government power in this way was a great threat to organised labour, producing what looked like copycat initiatives in other States, with one informed observer claiming that no fewer than 820 bills had been introduced in State legislatures this year alone, aimed at restricting bargaining rights.
But the solidarity of British unions was as ironic as it was virtuous. For what was happening in Wisconsin was already happening here, beginning with the refusal by the Cabinet Office to honour collective agreements with civil servants, on pensions and redundancy payments.
As in Wisconsin, the Con Dem government in this country was also prepared to use the legislative power of government to remove the requirement that changes to these benefits can only be made with the agreement of the staff trade unions, in what has proved to be only the beginning of an assault on public sector conditions.
So at the same time, local government workers are also facing serious threats to collectively agreed terms and conditions of employment, the problem here being the proliferation of so-called 'section 188 notices', whereby employers give 90 days' notice to fire thousands of workers at a time, with an offer to rehire on inferior terms.
While all this is taking place, union organisation is facing a renewed political onslaught. We see the ugly face of right wing Tory supporting bloggers, encouraged by the 'respectable' right wing press, who mount vicious personal attacks against lay trade unionists in the workplace.
These foul campaigns have been accompanied by the attacks on trade unions by right wing backbenchers, lobbying hard with the support of the so-called Taxpayers' Alliance, to reduce the facilities provided to workplace representatives, facilities (including time off) that enable the latter properly to represent their members.
This is by no means the end of it, with some of the same backbenchers joining the London Mayor to tighten the strike laws. Borrowing ideas from Bulgaria, the attack dogs of the Tory right are now demanding that strikes should be banned unless they have the support of at least 40% (or in some cases 50%) of those eligible to vote.
We should not under-estimate the vigour and determination of these attacks, nor the bile and bigotry by which they are fuelled. Nor should we under-estimate their impact at a time when trade unions already face formidable challenges, not the least of which is the relentless fall in collective bargaining coverage.
To put the matter into perspective: when Thatcher became Prime Minister, more than four out of every five British workers was protected by a collective agreement or similar instrument. By the time Tony Blair became Prime Minister it had fallen to just over one in three. Today it stands at less than one in three, and falling.
To put the matter into even greater perspective, there is no evidence of such collapse elsewhere in the EU15. Sure, trade unions are under siege everywhere. But in Germany, collective bargaining coverage remains healthy at 63% of the workforce, and until recently in most of the EU15 the figure was higher.
Why does this matter? Actually it matters a great deal, for collective bargaining density (not trade union membership density) is the greatest indicator of trade union IMPACT. It is the best indicator of how many workers trade unions reach, and how many people's lives trade unions touch.
In the absence of collective bargaining, workers are left to fend for themselves, and to rely on what little 'market power' they do not have. Hence the recent growth of 'master and servant' contracts, in which employers are taking the contractual power unilaterally to change ANY terms and conditions of employment at will.
In the medium to long term, the biggest challenge facing British trade unions is thus to reverse this decline. We need to understand why it has happened, but stop making excuses. And we need to lift our ambitions: trade unions are and ought to be regulatory bodies, raising pay and equalising incomes. They are not service providers.
In the short term, however, trade unions have more immediate concerns, notably the working conditions and indeed the livelihoods of their members. By taking action to protect their members, trade unions are protecting us all. By protecting the service providers, they are protecting the service they provide.
This leads us to confront the other great role of trade unionism, which is advancing and protecting the interests of working people in the political sphere. It is here too that we can assess the IMPACT of trade unionism, not in terms of the people they reach, but in terms also of the workers and their families whose interests they defend.
Trade unions thus have a responsibility - as the only source of organised power - to resist the attacks by this government on the welfare of their members. That power needs to be used wisely, effectively and responsibly. Large scale demonstrations and protest strikes are responsible exercises of that power.
First Published in Red Pepper, July 2011"

this is an amazing musical/monologue giving a kaleidescope picture of Paul Robeson's life. The production has been sponsored by Napo and other Unions-I saw it in London this week but I then found out the show is coming up to Ormskirk,at the Rose Theatre on Nov 17th. I'd always known Robeson was a singer and actor and linked him to the 1930's/40's period but this show was an eye-opener in revealing what a humanitarian he was and a proud combattant against racism and oppression-he suffered under the McCarthy years in America being viewed as "anti-American". I'd strongly recommend the show-it runs for about 75 min,is very moving and the music's pretty good too! There's a facebook page-Call Mr Robeson and website www.callmrrobeson.com

Further to the Pensions Bulletin that has been circulated ,I am writing on behalf of the branch executive to explain more about the Government's proposed changes to the Local Government Pension scheme and why NAPO and the other trade unions are balloting members for industrial action.

The call for industrial action only arises after months of lobbying, campaigning and negotiating have been met with the intransigence of the coalition government to press ahead with the changes. NAPO and the other trade unions are doing their utmost to find a negotiated settlement but ultimately if negotiations are met with intransigence, members may need collectively to show RESISTANCE and force the government back to real dialogue.

Why should you show RESISTANCE to the proposed changes?

The government is proposing to introduce a 3.2% increase in the pension contribution members pay each month. Members on average pay 6.4% of their salary so the reality is, if the changes are introduced, you will pay on average 9.6% and that amounts to a 50% increase in contribution each month. The 3.2% extra payment will not go into the pension scheme, rather it will go the the treasury to fund the national deficit , which mainly arose due to the financial crisis in the private banking sector. This amounts to a new tax on saving for your retirement.Public sector workers are already contributing to this deficit through an enforced pay freeze.

The government has already reduced the value of pensions by changing the measure of inflation. They are now using the consumer price index which is a cheaper measure and it is estimated the change will reduce future pension benefits by 15%.

The government is proposing members work longer before they can retire and receive their pension. Currently the normal retirement age for the LGPS is 65 but the government wants to increase it to 66 by 2020 and 68 in later years.

The government wants to end the "fair deal" under TUPE arrangements . "Fair deal" protects workers whose jobs are privatised so they are not disadvantaged in pension provision.

The coalition government has made many inaccurate statements about the local government pension scheme which have largely gone unchallenged by the media. It has been suggested that the local government pension scheme is unsustainable. The LGPS is a funded scheme with assets and investments that generate returns. It currently takes in £4bn a year more than it pays out in liabilities. Some of those investments are in UK industries thus helping jobs and local economies. Part of the strength of its scheme is the extent of membership ( NAPO alone has over 8500 members) but the government's proposed new tax risks many members leaving the scheme and ceasing to save for their retirement. This could bring a once sustainable scheme to the brink of collapse. If people don't save for retirement, it is likely to lead to poverty in old age and dependance on the state.

If you want to protect your pension and pressure the government to "think again" then we need
a high percentage of members voting in the ballot
a strong vote for YES to industrial action
strong support for industrial action that is organised.
Please vote , encourage other colleagues to do the same and if they are not in NAPO or one of the other trade unions encourage them to join NAPO.

Only collective action can win this dispute!!!!!!

Members of the branch executive will endeavour to visit offices to answer any questions about Pensions and proposed industrial action . This will also be an agenda item at the next branch meeting on Wed 9 Nov 1.45pm.
At the pension fringe meeting at AGM we were reminded of a once famous quote
the, "only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing"
(Edmund Burke)


Jane Foster. Vice Chair and member of Campaigning and Negotiating Committees




Edited: 18/10/2011 at 07:14 PM by Pavia

wow what a roller-coaster experience the last few days have been speaking personally! I had hoped to do a sort of AGM blog but starting "work" from a breakfast meeting approx 8.30am and rounding off at least 6pm was more tiring than I'd thought. Eastbourne has been a really thought provoking AGM-some excellent and heart-felt debates especially on Accredited Programmes and Alliance with TUC position on Palestine and some very moving contributions from Guest speakers on risks faced by Palestinian children by Israeli Security system and need for Stalking law reform(more detail on main Napo website).Will try and do a more rounded summary in next few days-am shattered at mo'!

here are some photos of the Oct Manchester rally
note the line of Police barring entrance to onfence centre-there were more police in evidence today than in London for the TUC rally last March!

whilst not on the scale of the March 2011 London rally,there were about 35 thousand in Manchester today to remind the Tories their policies and "rationale" for the same are not acceptable-it was a good-natured assemby but as we approached the conference centre,the whistles/horns/chants and boos were a clear indication there was no love for these Tory "Big brothers" . We were not allowed to set off at planned time( conspiracy theorists amongst us reckoned it was to make sure there would be no jeering crowds as the Tories arrived for today's conferece meetings!)so by time the march ended and crowd gathered for speeches,your Lancs band (of 8 including retired member John Mac)was desperate for some lunch (approx 3pm!)and most of us headed off for a sarnie/loo break and to grab a train home whilst seats were to be had. Will try and add some photos. Well done to the Lancs contingent who left their early Sunday lie-ins and best wishes to Colm who set off despite being unwell but had to turn back at Bolton due to feeling ill.

Before AGM on Friday last,we asked John McCarthy,retired member, on behalf of the Branch,to come and express thanks to and recognise the stirling work done by Janet Robinson who, I recently worked out,is the longest serving Napo member still working in probation in Lancashire-Janet joined Napo on 1/1/75 and has worked her entire Probation career in Lancs.
" Some others have used NAPO as a means of furthering their managerial ambitions, such as . . . . err, um, thingy . . . er . . . who-is-it . . . what's their name ?.

And there are others who have quietly got on with putting policy into practice in their own little corner. Over the years, Janet has been a bastion of NAPO policy wherever it has coincided with humanity and common sense, (which as we know it always does!).

But she can also be persuasive when she wants to be. In 1996 I had never been on a football match for 30 years. Then she took me on and I never missed another for the next 10! This was one of the many ways in which she has changed my life.

In the Crown Court Janet is a natural;she epitomises the reason why the Probation Service itself was invented 100 years ago to bridge the highest of the high with the lowest of the low.

Support of colleagues also comes naturally to Janet when I was writing something for her Award a few years ago, I asked all my colleagues, who would you ask if you were worried about something to do with the Crown Court, guess whose name came up every time?

What goes around comes around. 20 years ago, NAPO had a campaign about the impending introduction of National Standards:this is the very badge from those days! But throughout the decades, despite all this kind of nonsense from above, Janet's common sense and humanity has remained as steadfast as her support for Preston North End.

However frustrated we may have been by political diktats, imaginary targets or overwhelming bureaucracy, take the problem to Janet and although she may not have the power to solve it all, you always come away having enjoyed talking to her.

Janet is the only person I know who can bridge the unbridgeable, reconcile the irreconcileable, and impersonate Mrs Merton, Mrs Overall and Victoria Wood all at the same time!

Janet, it has been a pleasure to work with you over the years!"

We learnt yesterday that we in Lot 2 have "passed" through the Gateway process (baaa......!!!!)this is some relief in the immediate sense but we have still to pit our bid against ??? other contenders from the 3 approved private org and possibly any other PTs/Lots so are not out of either a frying pan or a fire.From here on in we are in a new and ugly world not one of beauty at all.WERe we to win our bid in due course-no date as yet-the contract only runs 4 yrs I understand whereupon the whole thing begins again. We still have no clear ideawhat our Lot have put together as an embryonic operational model but with the emphasis on reduced cost,it is not going to look very pretty. This is but the first area of our work to be gripped by NOMs tentacles and dangled before the private sector....rumour has it that hostels are now "off the boil" for the time being but Programmes could be next in line to be ogled.
However grim things are for us in this u.n.w the situation must be worse in London........read on...
Napo warning over London Probaton Unpaid Work privatisation plans-taken from Napo website
"Unpaid Work, or community service as it used to be known, is to be privatised this year in the whole of the Greater London area. Three companies, Serco, Sodexo and Mitie, have been approved by the Ministry of Justice for tendering purposes. This will be the first probation task to be privatised.

In an extremely controversial move, London Probation Trust has entered into a sub-contracting arrangement with one of the potential providers, Serco. Under the arrangement, Serco would supervise offenders on placements, which is 75% of the work, but the order would be held by the Probation Trust and breaches for bad behaviour would also be undertaken by the public sector.

Twelve months ago London Probation and Serco attempted to reach a partnership agreement for the provision of Unpaid Work. That was scrapped after an intervention by the National Offender Management Service, who told them to wait until a national decision was made about the future of Unpaid Work. At the time Serco was privy to financial and other information which arguably puts them at a commercial advantage compared with their competitors.

The Ministry of Justice has made no decision as to whether the contract will be based on volume of orders made or whether there will be a fixed price. If the contract is on volume and thousands more offenders are put on Unpaid Work as part of Ken Clarke's 'rehabilitation revolution', then the private sector could make massive gains. If the contract is capped, it is possible the money would run out before the end of the financial year because of the government's commitment to less use of custody and more Unpaid Work, and magistrates and judges would no longer be able to make orders.

The tendering process is not based on best practice, efficiency or effectiveness, but solely on price. It is also clear that the Ministry of Justice sees Unpaid Work as pure punishment and not part of rehabilitation.

Whatever the outcome of the tendering process in London, the private sector will be successful. It is highly likely that the size of groups of offenders on placements will rise and that the number of supervisors will fall. Currently the ratio is one supervisor to six or seven offenders.

In the event of trouble on a placement, which occurs frequently, larger groups with fewer supervisors will be extremely difficult to control and this potentially compromises public protection.

Community service was introduced by the government in 1976. It was then seen as an alternative to custody, was to be part rehabilitation and part punishment and would give offenders skills which they might be able use subsequently in the labour market.

If Mitie or Sodexo are successful then courts will be able to make orders out directly to the private company, which presents a potential conflict of interest particularly if members of the judiciary have shares or any other interest in the company concerned. In addition the private sector would have a financial incentive to lobby for a decrease in the use of custody and an increase in Unpaid Work orders. They would also have a vested interest in seeing offenders who have breached being electronically tagged as an alternative. Currently the private sector run tagging schemes all over England and Wales.

Offenders sentenced to unpaid work are not a compliant and willing workforce. In February 2011 Napo conducted a study of over 1,000 offenders on unpaid work which shows there were high levels of drug and alcohol addiction; low levels of literacy and employment and, in the last six months, hundreds of incidents of non-compliance and threats against supervisors. Those who work with offenders on placements therefore need to be highly trained to be able to deal professionally with anger and threats and to be able to motivate offenders so that they comply and get through their orders.

Nationally, many placements are environmental, including decorating and cleaning, litter removal and graffiti clearance. However, 35% of placements are individual with offenders working in charity shops, working for churches, maintaining gardens for the elderly, supporting children and adults with learning difficulties and working in day centres for the elderly and homeless. Under the private arrangements all individual placements are likely to be scrapped because they will no longer be economically viable.

The budget for London Probation for financial year 2010/11 is £137.5 million. The amount that is currently attributable to Unpaid Work is approximately 12% of that budget, or £16.5 million. The private sector could bid for Unpaid Work as a loss leader in the full knowledge that they would have a good chance of winning more lucrative contracts for offender supervision in the future.

Harry Fletcher, Assistant General Secretary of Napo, said: "The normal laws of supply and demand do not apply to the provision of justice services. There is no obvious customer; the offender cannot pick and choose whether he or she is supervised by probation or the private sector; there is no level playing field. The provision of Unpaid Work should be based on public safety not profit for shareholders. This is a punishment revolution not a rehabilitation revolution, as Ken Clarke has repeatedly stated. Larger groups and fewer supervisors means there will be more risks and public protection will be compromised".

Again apoligies for delay in getting this up on our blog.This is an excellent report back on an important Conference attended for us by member on behalf of Branch.

"I attended the conference not quite sure what to expect. When I arrived there were approximately six members of the EDL outside the building 'protesting'. Since this is an organisation which appears to go to great lengths to convince us that they are not fascist it does beg the question why on earth were they protesting outside a building where a conference on Anti Fascism was being held? This among many other issues was discussed throughout the day and although there were guest speakers the delegates were invited and actively encouraged to voice their opinions. It was encouraging to see that there were so many young people there, students and those who were involved in promoting awareness in schools among the usual suspects of Union representatives, so there was a very good cross section of people there.

The morning session was addressed by Mark Smith who is actively involved in the 'Love Music Hate Racism' campaign. He spoke of various events he had attended in the past for example in Russia where 5000 EDL had gathered to protest and attack the conference. He said that they were all armed with swords and proceeded to attack those who were clearly of an ethnic origin succeeding in killing at least two people. In Germany, David Cameron made his now infamous 'multiculturalism' speech during which he claimed Muslims are not integrating into society and if they were not prepared to adopt 'western values' then they should be considered extremist. Disturbing to think that this comes from a man who allegedly wants a fairer society in which we all look after each other. Also interesting to note that his comments on integration come from a man who attended Eton where there are no ethnic groups among the student body. How can he claim to say people do not integrate if they are not then given the opportunity to do so by the so called 'ruling classes'. Mark said that David Cameron is therefore aiding and abetting the growth of the far right by pandering to their opinions in order to gain the popular vote. Mark went on to highlight three trends he had observed emerging. These are:-

1) Development of right wing parties such as UKIP etc which openly condemn the rights of the Romanies and Muslims
2) 'Neuro Fascism'. La Penn in France promotes the concept of respectability by removing anything which would appear to be linked to past fascist regimes and colonial racism while here the BNP set up a two tier system.
3) The emergence of 'street fighters' skinhead gangs linked to the EDL.

There are many forms of right wing fascism which are finding different ways of developing and attracting those who they feel will add credence and structure to their claims they are not in fact fascist. Historically fascism is not solely linked to social contexts and the new groups are enlisting the support of Sikhs and black people for example in order to give themselves credibility. Mark pointed out that the BNP are in the process of disintegrating however, should not be 'written off' as big chunks of them have gone over the EDL who are rapidly emerging as the next serious threat. As a consequence there is the growth of racist attacks seen through football hooliganism and the movement is generally growing in the use of violence as a tactic with anyone who does not hold the same views as them as 'fair game' for attack.

The current economic crisis is undoubtedly contributing to the problem we face in the emergence of far right cultures and politics as it then allows for 'scapegoating'. Mark said that UNITE can offer an alternative and the campaign must involve reaching out to people who would otherwise be drawn into organisations such as the EDL as the real culprit for the ills we face is not the migrant worker or the traveller but the Government. He concluded by saying that this country has a rich heritage of fighting against fascism but ultimately there is no substitute for hard campaigning to win people over and away from fascist groups and hard core fanatics. He urged us to think of new ways through which this could be achieved in taking up the cases of Islamaphobia and of getting the message across to those who are simply confused by the policies. Therefore the aim of the UAF should be to campaign against cuts and immigration policies which means that immigrants are 'scapegoated'. The UAF should consider how to respond to other protests and reject the idea that fundamentalism is related to Islam.

The afternoon was split into three sessions and the delegates could select which one they would attend. I attended the 'Is Islamaphobia the New Fascism?' which was facilitated by Anindya Bhatyacharyya. Basically the answer was 'yes'. He said that the incentive for the Government was to divide people and were using racism as a means to do so reiterating the idea of 'scapegoating' as they were giving the general populace someone to 'blame' for employment/ economic crises further noting that there has been an outpouring of 'anti-Muslim' rhetoric in Europe generally as a result. Anindya said that the Government has promoted the idea that cultural cohesiveness is under threat and that multiculturalism has therefore failed because people are not integrated. However, all the statistical information overwhelmingly suggests otherwise but that groups are being systematically demonised by the media. Views on racism have been altered due to the anti-racist movement of the 1980's and the emphasis is now more on cultural values which have in effect been 'repackaged' to include the idea of the Muslim as an extremist/terrorist. Again David Cameron was quoted as having said that any Muslim should be considered extremist if they did not agree with 'western values'. The EDL leader has also openly said that he is against Islam full stop and that Polly Toynbee has said she is proud to consider herself as an Islamaphobe. When politicians and figures in the media make such statements this clearly feeds into 'right wing' views which give the racist the pretexts and excuses they need. As a consequence we are seeing a 'spike' in racist attacks and hate crimes particularly against Islam and Muslims who are now talked about in the same way as black people used to be. The Trade Union movement is therefore pivotal in the fight against racism.

The final session of the day was a panel discussion during which points were made about how we can be effective against the EDL and BNP etc. Weyman Bennett said that the key was in exposing the reality of the EDL and what they actually stand for. Louise Baldock who is a Labour MP talked about the BNP electorally noting that there are just four councillors mainly in the Nelson/Colne/Pendle areas of the North West and only have one MEP (Nick Griffin) who only succeeded with 6% of the votes. She commented that the encouraging this was that once they were in office the BNP generally didn't seem to really take an interest and the EDL were deemed to be little more than hooligans looking for a fight. Louise said that there was an English Democrats 'party' who were demanding the right to celebrate 'Englishness' and want to banish equal and human rights. They also want repatriation and claim out of control immigration and again are fielding candidates in the Eastern parts of the North West mainly Bury and Rossendale. She concluded her comments by saying that there was a lot going on to 'counter' such parties from gaining a foothold in communities. The final speaker Barry Faulkner said that we need to go into schools to encourage youth to engage. He said no-one is born fascist and we must commit to community projects to raise awareness of different cultures. The EDL and BNP both refer to Trade Unions as a threat to society and want to create divisions in order to further their own aims therefore the TU's must remain vigilant and stand together.
The main points for me were as follows:-

. The government is the real 'enemy'
. The cuts are being used to create vacuums in society with the 'bloody finger' being pointed at Islam and attacks on students etc. We must defend against cuts and the resultant divisions this creates.
. Funding for raising awareness is being withdrawn yet the govt want integration.
. Courage and solidarity are at the core for being able to challenge what people say"

Also please note:"Apparently there is a festival at Liverpool Uni on the 9th July and everyone is welcome. I think details are on the UNITE website if people would like further information"

apologies to members for delay in circulating this report back from member in East who attended BADUAR response to the April 2nd EDL demo in Blackburn:
"Contrary to the media reports there were over a thousand anti EDL protesters. We were given an area at Sudell Cross for our rally and the only way in or out was via the bottom of Preston New Rd. The other five roads which converge onto Sudell Cross were sealed off with 8 foot solid metal fences and a strong police and mounted police presence. We were allowed in one by one through a narrow corridor of police and questioned as to why we were going there, presumably to ensure we had the right protest.We had a rally involving lots of speeches from people in the anti racist and trade union movements. I spotted one other Napo member ! The EDL were estimated to be 2000 strong. Many arrived in coaches parked up on mIncing Lane from where they poured into 4 designated pubs. They had a short march at 1245 to their rally in front of The Times pub, Northgate, just across from King Georges Hall. Consequently they were only about a hundred metres from our rally but the fences ensured no face to face confrontation between the two groups. At one point we heard them making a lot of noise and could see flares being thrown. We assumed this was for our benefit and some of the more hotheaded youngsters in our rally tried to push through the Northgate fence and threw firecrackers but were easily pushed back by the police. The EDL rally ended at 1345 and the police contained our protesters in Sudell Cross by blocking off the only exit/entrance with a wall of mounted police. As some of the hotheads in our rally wanted to leave, presumably to confront the EDL as they left, they weren't happy at being contained for another hour and tried charging the police and threw firecrackers again. The police easily repelled these attempts. After an hour the police let us leave one at a time and made everyone pull hoodies and masks off as they walked through the massively policed exit corridor. The whole thing was policed brilliantly, there were only minor incidents from some of our rallys younger element and the police dealt with these in a firm but friendly manner.The EDL rally exploded into violent infighting when one official used his speech on the stage to accuse another EDL official of fraud resulting in their respective supporters brawling and being arrested. There is footage of this which I have seen on the computer. I believe that there have been resignations from the EDL as a result."

attended Colin's retirement do today and spoke on behalf of Branch to recognise his work both with Unions as pivotal negotiator for LPT and his contribution to development of the strong position of the same. I explained as a democratic org we had discussed this recognition and it was an unusual gesture on our part to mark the departure of a member of senior management but undertaken because of his handling of his role and work to defend and promote Probation over his many years in the Service. I reminded him we had not always seen eye-to-eye,recalling specifically when I fronted staff side in a dispute over roll-out of the WMT,but he has always treated the Unions with respect and "played with a straight bat".
I think you might all approve of the card I got-it was an old Punch cartoon with 2 cats backed into a corner surrounded by mice with logo."Don't just stand there..NEGOTIATE!" Can't attach due to copywrite but here's a link!

http://www.punchcartoons.com/A...te!/product_info.html

I also revealed to those who might not have known, that he had been a Napo member previously and a LJNC rep and encouraged and fostered colleagues' Napo activities-I told him he should have stayed with us!

Having learnt he is keen on the outdoor life and bird watching,and wanting to recognise the support given by his wife,on behalf of those members who contributed,I got 2 tickets for them to go to an event being held in summer at a new local wildlife reserve plus picnic.Colin appeared touched and appreciative and asked me to pass on to members his thanks for the acknowledgements expressed and the gift.

Edited: 12/05/2011 at 08:41 PM by Pavia

great photo with brilliant logo-thanks Chivalry Rd!!

can you see Lancs members and our banner in photo here and in side box?

sorry there are 2 photos on this-was only way I could get photo attached to side box!

Edited: 07/05/2011 at 05:00 PM by Pavia

Info from BADUAR
BLACKBURN and DARWEN UNITED AGAINST RACISM
Campaigning against the BNP in the Local Elections


As previously announced, the BNP is standing candidates in Roe Lee; Shadsworth & Whitebirk and Higher Croft Wards on May 5th and BADUAR has decided to leaflet all three Wards with Hope Not Hate and UAF material.

The current economic situation, with cuts and loss of jobs and services is the context in which the BNP are attempting to exploit peoples basic insecurity. Paul Jenkins, the UAF Organiser who helped us in Blackburn for the April 2nd event told our BADUAR meeting this evening that at an anti-cuts meeting in Stoke recently, a BNP local candidate for the elections on May 5th stood up and made a forceful anti-cuts speech. This demonstrates what we are up against.

After all the good work carried out in opposing the EDL and our very successful Celebration of Multiculturalism, we need to ensure that the racists don't get a foothold by securing success in the elections on May 5th. Leafleting these three wards with anti-racist material is vitally important in ensuring that those who may be considering voting for the BNP are pursuaded not too. Remember, the hard core racist voters will not be deterred from voting BNP, but it is not those who our campaign is geared up to convincing; It is those who can and are being beguiled by the BNP.

A tale from the hustings tonight. In Roe Lee, a house was canvassed to reveal a West Indian woman, living with a white man, who said she was going to vote BNP!! Life is indeed very strange at times, but this is the kind of reality we are up against.


Dates, Times & Meeting places for leafleting

Roe Lee and Higher Croft have been leafletted

Shadsworth Ward - meeting at:

Shadsworth Leisure Centre Car Park at 10:00am
Saturday April 30th

It is extremely important that we have a lot of people out on this date to assist with the security of our leafleters. This Ward is known to have a number of BNP members living within it and we do not want to have anyone delivering anti-racist material being isolated on the estates.
PLEASE e-mail baduar61@yahoo.co.uk if you can help and give your mobile phone number-thanks!






Edited: 26/04/2011 at 06:35 PM by Pavia

for info!! I have accessed this from Preston and South Ribble Trades Council site:

Service/ Funding ;Effective Date; Financial Cut;s Jobs Lost ; Affect on users
Lancashire County Council 17/02/11 £179m Not yet disclosed. GMB: "6000 council jobs at risk". Council has not yet revealed which services will face the chop.
Preston Guild Hall tbc Out of 39 current posts it is proposed to reduce to just 13. 23 redundancies. Professional Acts to be discontinued entirely. One night professional acts reduced from 46 to 12. Rock & Pop acts reduced from 28 to 4. Comedy Acts from 13 to 4.

Friends of the Guild Hall to be wound up & replaced by volunteer group.

"Regular closure of the Charter Theatre & Guild Hall would enable more frequent closure of the upper level and reduce security costs"

"The venue will reduce its status as a sub regional entertainment venue attracting a wide range of nationally and internationally known entertainers, performances and shows. It will instead be a more locally based venue attracting a different type of audience for the largely community
based events. It is too early to forecast the impact on the actual visitor numbers but at this stage these are expected to be reduced".

Lancashire Police tbc £50m 1000 jobs to go over next 4 years.
Blackburn with Darwen Council tbc £25m 1000 jobs to go.
Intact Youth & Community Centre 03/02/11 £60,000 Ingol Youth & Adult services in community under threat.
West Lancashire Carers Sitting in Service 08/02/11 £13,000 Volunteer service at risk of closure by end of 2011.
Fulwood & Westview Leisure Centre 01/04/11 £44,000

£23,000
Non recruitment of 2 full time leisure assistants.

2 full time staff and one part time post.
Revised rotas placing greater demands on exisiting staff.

Closure of Fulwood bar.

Reduction in Cemetary Ground Maintenance £35,000 "There is a risk that appearance standards could occasionally fall slightly if periods of peak workload coincide with factors such as poor weather conditions or a high demand for grave digging".
Harris Museum £37,000 Reduce clerical jobs by 1.5 posts. Office reception & telephone will not provide 100% cover during opening hours.

Exhibitions budget cut by £5000 will reduce ability to mount exhibitions reducing from 3 to 2 per annum with an expected decrease in visitor numbers.



City Council HR £60,000 for first 2 years. £110,000 Advertising budget slashed by £20,000. Training to staff slashed by £20,000.
Area Based Grants & other special grants £2,800 Per Annum 11 PCSOs & all staffing funded through project funding if no alternative funding found. Reduced street cleaning.

Preventing Violent Extremism through projects such as Sahara axed.

Worklessness & Welfare to Work to be outsourced to Private & Voluntary bidders. *****(my emphasis-this has gone to SERCO I believe)

Community Safety - reduced community assurance & increased fear of crime.

Citizen zone vehicle reductions.

Small community grants.

Parks & Horticulture £75,000 for first year, £150,000 each year after Reduce Bowling Greens from 9 to 4.

Reduction of on-site staffing.

Closure of 3 play areas.

Reduce shrub bed maintenance from 12 months to 3 years & 3 years to 5 years.

Reduced number of park events.

City entry to "Britain in Bloom" to cease.



Environmental Health - Food Safety and Health & Safety Staffing £35,000 1 Environmental health post Reduced investigation of food poisoning, workplace incidents and reports of business regulatory non-compliance

Environmental Health - Pest Control Services £57,000 1 Pest Control Officer

1 Pest Control Assistant & vehicle
Reduction to domestic premises treatment only for public health pests (rats & mice)

No further services to remove other health pests (wasps, ant etc).

Request services to business presmises will cease.

Environmental Health - Licensing Staffing £29,000 1 Senior Licensing Officer Post Risk of increase times to process licences.
Environmental Health - Environmental Protection staffing £37,000 1 Contaminated Land Officer Post Service request response times to other environmental protection work will increase.

Some non critical work will not get done (eg on private water supplies) as reactive contaminated land work is redistributed across the team.

Environmental Health - Admin Support Staffing £10,000 Loss of P/T Clerk Increase in response times to a range of tasks.
Prestonion £25,000 Reduction to 1 publication.
Funding to the voluntary and community sector £20,000 in 2012/2013

£40,000 in 2013/14

£60,000 thereafter
The small grant pot previously funded by Area Based Grant will no longer be available.



Crematorium / Cemetery Fees & Charges £100,000 The standard cremation fee to rise by £100.

The charge for a burial in a public grave to increase to £75.



Passport to Leisure £63,000 Proposed pricing; swim £1.50, fitness £2.75, sauna £2.25, climb £3.00.

For details of the events in Preston on April 30th please clich this link
http://lancashiretradeunions.o...md/pamphlet%202011.pdf

Hi=please note the following!!
.Burnley May Day Festival
2nd May, Towneley Park.
The Burnley May Day Festival is held every year on the May Day bank holiday Monday. It has run every year since the bank holiday was established in 1978. It is preceded by a May Day parade that sets off from Burnley Town Hall.
.Lancaster Mayday March and Rally
30th April, 11:45am. Organised by Lancaster and Morecambe Trades Union Council. Meet at Thurnham Street Car Park for march through town. Rally and speakers in Market Square.

I am away on family business next weekend so will have to be with colleagues "in spirit" on this occasion.
I also hope tp post Lancs members accounts of the recent BADUAR rally in Blackburn and UAF conference in the NW earlier this month in the next few days.

somewhat emboldened by that success will try and add a couple more photos here.

hope this attempt at attaching a photo works!



Edited: 19/04/2011 at 10:12 PM by Pavia

Am struggling with a sinusitis-related headache so will keep this brief!

went to Preston town centre on Saturday to support the Trades Union/UAF rally but was loathe to be penned into the small area boxed off for supporters where they were marshalled into the smaller outdoor "covered" market against a wall with Police on 3 sides (approx 150 participants)and chose instead to stand outside the barriers and move around the town from time-to-time to see what was going on.The rally was restricted to an hour,was positive,non-violent and cheerful.

The EDL demo on the Flag Market,also restricted to 1 hr, massed approx 1,000 I understand,This was very noisy,incorporated bashing of drums,setting off fireworks and much shouting.It did not present an attractive image and whilst was largely non-violent as well I believe there were about 14 arrests for various Public Order charges and some Sec 47 assaults. If I also tell you that,on arrival in Preston via bus,I noticed 4 stocky males,dressed in black with either hoods pulled forward or scarves pulled up to their noses and sporting Remembrance poppies joining others similarly clad within the EDL contingent,you may get a feel for the somewhat tense atmosphere.
Moving about gave people a chance to talk with other passers-by and I had a humbling conversation with 2 Preston Muslims who, in response to my disgust that the EDL had been allowed to take up the Flag Market to promote their views,spoke warmly about their perception of good inter-faith/cultural relations in Preston and commended the British respect for freedom of speech in contrast to some Muslim countries.
In short all went off largely without aggro but I was still left with a bad taste in my mouth.

During the afternoon I visited Preston library and discovered a display acknowledging that last week was an inter-faith week (!! ironic in the circumstances)and found a book which I've since read and would recommend....."The Butterfly mosque" by G.Willow Wilson. This describes a young American woman's developing interest in and conversion to Islam-recognised tensions and conflicts in trying to adapt to life in Egypt as a Muslim whilst not abandoning Western identity.......whilst I would not identify with all the contents,she raises a lot of "mirror"points that make you reflect on assumptions and behaviours rather like the 2 gentlemen I met who could react with amazing good grace to the presence of so many people in their town who objected to their presence in this country.


On a separate and quite different note,I'd also recommend members have a look at the attached doc on Offender Engagement .

oops not worked out yet how to "attach" documents will add later


I'd like to have been able to give you a pithy summary but at this point in the afternoon am flagging.Its about NOMs work on the significance of 1-1 work with our client group and why it works(or doesn't).It might look as if its stating the obvious but if its a way of highlighting and promoting the value of some of our key practises,we should be supporting and endorsing it particularly as the Specification/Benchmarking and Costing crew have completed their work on Managing and Delivering Supervision Requirements (if anyone wants copies let me know and I'll forward)which means next year,such areas of work could be considered legit to put out to tender(it's not only UPW,Hostels etc that could go elsewhere in the future.All aspects of our job are being costed and itemised).
Recognising,developing and promoting/advertising our skills base is something we increasingly need to focus on I think.If we don't ,others will be singing their own praises loud enough to try and get funds diverted their way...........
Shall come back to this topic early in New Year but any ideas on good practice welcome!



Edited: 03/12/2010 at 03:07 PM by Pavia

Hi-as promised in today's e-mail to members,this is to provide more info on the recent meetings between m'gement and unions.
PQF-we have raised concerns about various points within the agreement that LPs(new terminology for staff training to be POs)had to sign-namely;
the degree of protection for learning time-we have been assured all LPs are entitled to a day a week for 40 weeks from start of "term" or first module till the end of the third module(June 11).Potential work demands may mean LPs are asked to change their day for study within a week they should still get a day
the academic year does cover a continuous period from 27 Sept till June;it does not stop at the end of first module(ie Nov) and start again in New Year
we are still awaiting clarity on the definition of a "normal" PSO caseload of which LPs will hold 60% or 80% depending on their point of entry on training.
We are meeting KMcK next week for further discussions.Please note that these issues remain subject to monitoring and review and observations from you on how practise develops will be very valuable.
Monies have been provided from the Centre(ie Nationally)to cover backfill costs and management are still consolidating the backfill arrangements (ie cover provided to work-sites to deal with workload "gaps" generated by providing protected learning time for LPs).Please let us know of any concerns/issues in relation to this .We recognise the implementation process has not been smooth-sailing;this is not simply attributable to our management,Local Areas have been left to sort out important issues rather than a National Best Practice Model being proposed.
We have secured a good addition to the De-Selection procedures uniquely in the NW as we successfully argued that just because a LP might be deemed not to be able to cope with the academic demands of the training(ie need "de-selecting" from training),this does not mean they cannot perform(as previously)as a competent PSO. So if removal from the course has to take place,the LP should still be able to revert to a PSO role(unless wider capability/disciplinary issues have developed).The position of LPs in other Counties in the NW seems more ambiguous.The Procedures in your LP folders contain the NW version NOT the Lancashire Policy-this will be coming out to you soon as it was only agreed by the Board last week.
For those who are interested in applying next year(for an April start)if you want advice and possible assistance for example tackling RMPlans in e-Oays or intervewing techniques,tell your line manager so HR know what the training needs are and liaise with Geoff and Roger our Union Learning Reps who can also suggest links with Union members who are prepared to volunteer time for some advice/guidance etc if this could be helpful

Secondment. This area is still subject to on-going discussions but having met with HR I would advise in relation to prison secondment-if you want to be considered for a move after completing your first 2 yrs(or 3/4/5yrs) in Prison ,discuss this with your line manager in supervision and ensure HR are aware so they can register this on their system and start notifying you of vacancies within the last 3 months of your secondment(ie 2ys/3/4/5 depending on your preference).Desiring a change after your 2+ yrs and a vacancy being available are 2 separate issues.What gaps become available in the field is not easily predictable particularly given the current economic climate and concerns regarding cuts but if you want a move out,flag it up with your line manager and notify HR.HR do not have to notify you of vacancies until the last 3mths of your desired end of secondment. HR are generating a more sophisticated system to prompt their staff or remind when these dates are reached.Again-the theory is one thing,practice another so keep us posted of any issues that develop.It may help if you let me know as well of your interest in moving out. I also learnt that when PO staff were asked to indicate an interest in moves this June,staff DID include ref to interest in moving out of and into prisons but unfortunately,not the same ones so attempts to effect internal moves were thwarted. If staff have other concerns about conditions of service within prison work,again flag these up.BM and CD do now meet with the Governors regularly and we can highlight issues to add to their agendas.

Policy Reviews:We are still in consultation on Capability,Bullying and Harassment,Sickness and Annual Leave.Management were prepared to modify elements of their proposed changes to these broadly in line with our requests but not prepared to accede to all our proposals-we have further meetings next week to continue negotiations.In brief,the most sig remaining problems are:they propose removing a stage within Capability proceedings,do not want to increase trigger point days sickness from 9 to 10 and,if someone is absent from work on long term sick,they want to restict potential carry over of annual leave to 28 days rather than your normal AL entitlement.
Policy re-writes on Adoption/Relocation and Grading have been agreed.Adoption has been improved so that Adoption pay and leave is same as maternity pay/leave BUT only if adoptive child is under 5.WE tried to get rid of the age bar but it remains subject to HR discretion re whether adoptors of child 5+ can get more than the statutory minimum.Relocation total costs have been reduced from £6,000 to a total of £4,000-this affects very few people and,in current climate was difficult to sustain objections(this is for people moving to Lancs to take up work here).Grading Policy changes were minimal.Retirement Policy has been deferred for further attention given changes to retirement ages.

UPW/P2S Had discussion with GBT-P2S is under review,took on board our concerns,MAY be some room for manoeuvre, will update after further meeting;agreed needed to address info for staff/Courts re attendance at P2S group meeting being expectation and priority;briefings/trainings under review as per nature of P2S content but gT understood what training has been provided is sufficient to cover legal issues nb all Service users get further on-site H+S training prior to work on site-however she agreed to check legal position further with Nat H.Did not accept extra amount of work Project Supervisers undertaking was excessive but will keep under review.IS some room for local changes to how matters delivered so that in some LDUs local offices were able to run own P2S rather than just central delivery so worth raising local issues if this felt to be helpful(please let me know so can build up better picture of what happening)What was clear was the more info we have of local issues and problems the better-eg she was shocked to hear of time being consumed in allocating Service users to appropriate placements;GBT raised concerns re number of send-homes,drop in use of placements(ie more going to Projects)need more detailed info to determine what the real issues are here-eg are we dealing with more risky clients who need to be in Project Supervised group or are staff being more risk averse and playing safe?GBT also asked unions to consider increasing of size of average group from 6 to 7.I pointed ot concerns re working with higher risk client group.(Have since taken back to Unison colleagues and joint stance is not to agree,need more dicussion.However the National Manual does refer to larger group sizes) .Info regarding risk situations/incidents will all be valuable in backing up this argument.
GBT also pointed out review of APs imminent-will be sending me further info.......
*************************************************
I think I've covered the most salient points within all main areas-the common thread running through should be-please keep Roger and I informed of any issues/problems/developments so we have most accurate picture of what is happening whether its a PQF/Secondment or UPW issue and highlight any risk areas.
Given the hr I am now signing off.