A bit more news following the story I touched upon last Monday. It’s about the dreadful shambles over the pay of some new NPS starters who have been told that the failure to get their records processed in time for the February pay run originally meant that they would not get paid at the end of this month. As I said in the Branch Briefing17/2015 that I put out earlier today, we tried our best to intervene but the best that NOMS can offer is a 70% payment of gross salary to the individuals concerned. In a stock response to staff they claim that the difference between this solution and normal pay will be negligible.
Some relief at least - but overall it’s far away from being at all good enough. It also assumes that NOMS and Shared Services have accurately identified that group of staff, and that the problems will be put right in time for the next pay run. One thing that new NPS starters must do to avoid this nightmare scenario is to get their contracts signed and sent in ASAP.
Worse still for at least one member, who I heard today is still waiting to be paid properly for last month, let alone this one. I really hope that this is a ‘one off’ and that our advice to them to submit a grievance and claim bank charges and any other penalties that are incurred will get something moving. The fact is that it should not have come to this, but the pay problems are yet another example of the systemic failures or glitches that have blighted the TR transition. Still, it won’t mean much to the architects of the grand plan as they head home for the weekend safe in the knowledge that they at least have been paid properly.
Union subs – please help us to help you.
Another by-product of the probation staff split is that our membership team are still working to catch up on amending our records which show us which arm of the service our members are actually working in. I have been asked to remind our members to ensure that you regularly check to make sure that your subs are being paid to Napo on time and at the correct rate (a copy of the current Napo membership rates can be found at https://www.napo.org.uk/sites/default/files/CURRENT%20NAPO%20SUBS%20RATES.pdf).
We recommend that all Napo members carefully examine their payslips each month and contact payroll and the Napo Membership Team (membership@napo.org.uk) immediately if your subs have not been deducted, as this will help to avoid a large amount of arrears being accrued.
It’s also vital that a change of personal circumstances such as starting maternity leave, long term sickness absence that results in a change to half or no pay, or a change of employer (especially in the case of CRC to NPS) is notified to us as it happens. This saves Anne and Tay having to track members down via reports from the payroll provider some time later. Our appreciation to members for your assistance here.
It’s never too late to speak up for Justice
Tomorrow, sees the start of the ‘Not the Magna Carta relay’ from Runnymede through to Putney on Sunday, and on to Mondays rally opposite the House of Commons 1:00pm. There is loads of information available on the Napo website for anyone who wants to make a late decision to join in (it’s a sedate walk by the way, and by the river - not a marathon, and I am astute enough to know that there are any number of quality hostelries on route which should help slow things down.)
Tweeters and other social media geeks can use the link below to spread the message ahead of Chris Graylings celebratory Global Law summit that is taking place in Westminster at the same time as the rally. I expect it to be freezing outside, but its certain that the well-heeled glitterati in the Queen Elizabeth conference centre (which incidentally will now be minus HSBC’s Lord Green, we all wonder why?) will be nice and warm and enjoying their prawn sandwiches and champagne; and so they should at £1700 a head to walk through the door. Oddly enough I never got an invite, but if I had they could have stuffed it. I would much rather be outside shoulder to shoulder with real people, speaking up for a justice system that has been decimated by this wretched coalition.
http://speakupforjustice.org/speak-up/
Good weekend
- ilawrence@napo.org.uk's blog
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