Jonathan Ledger's Napolog
Weblog of Napo's general secretary
November 10, 2008
Pay ratification
Following the acceptance by members in Cafcass of the SPR the ratification process for the Probation offer was completed today.
Members voted to accept the offer by 2025 votes to 246. I have issued a circular to branches today with the breakdown of the result. Congratulations to branches for achieving such a good turnout.
It is hoped that members will be paid in time for Christmas.
Posted by jledger at 06:22 PM | Comments (0)
November 07, 2008
Budget crisis
Probation areas have been receiving letters from the outgoing Director of Probation setting out likely budget cuts for the next 3 years. Cuts in the existing budget of £20 million, £50 million and £50 million in consecutive years from the current £914 million are a recipe for complete disaster.
I would like to give you a link to this but can't as no one from the MoJ or employers has been in touch with us about this latest communique.
We are contacting branches seeking local information and will be going to the Minister for answers.
If you are sceptical about the relevance of Justice Week to the future of the Probation Service now would be a good time to change your mind.
Posted by jledger at 07:32 PM | Comments (0)
November 05, 2008
Good Morning America
I know that there will be a variety of opinions about the outcome of the US Presidential election and its implications.
But I, for one, experienced real joy as I sat up into the early hours watching Barack Obama make history. Today, hope really does spring eternal.
Posted by jledger at 10:49 AM | Comments (0)
October 27, 2008
In Probation we trust
We have been waiting on a report on NOMS and specifically the future of Probation Trusts for some time. The report was prepared by KPMG which does a lot of this sort of thing and makes rather a lot of money as a result.
The report has been delayed repeatedly and, having finally emerged, has proven to be less enlightening than we might have hoped. Probation members have received missives from NOMS relating to it over the past few days but the main message appears to be saving money and, should we be surprised, the potential re-emergence of commissioning and privatisation (see my AGM speech below). I was going to put a link to it here but if you go to NOMS you will see that its website is no longer updated and I couldn't find it on the MoJ site. Feel free to put in your own joke here...
We are preparing for a tough winter. Napo will be seeking answers to key questions about Probation funding and jobs. Justice Week (8th-12th December) grows ever more important for us all.
Posted by jledger at 02:31 PM | Comments (0)
October 21, 2008
AGM speech
Back from Llandudno. There will be a variety of views, of course, but I felt it was a very successful Conference with a fascinating range of contributors and a real engagement by those attending.
The AGM Blog gives an excellent flavour of the event.
As for next year, that is a subject likely to be up for discussion. The plan is to ensure that all members get the chance to participate in the debate.
This is the speech I gave to AGM on Saturday.
Posted by jledger at 06:11 PM | Comments (0)
October 14, 2008
Probation Pay Offer
I have issued this circular to branches/members today.
It has been a long and hard road and I am conscious of how patient members have been whilst waiting for the outcome of the negotiations. In the present climate this is a good offer but it is now up to members to have their say. Make sure you attend the pay meetings organised by branches and use your vote.
I am off to Llandudno tomorrow. We will be running the AGM blog as usual so you can keep in touch if you can't be there.
Posted by jledger at 06:16 PM | Comments (0)
