Even after several weeks of central discussions, Napo and our sister unions are still seeking clarity from senior HMPPS management on the many issues that are being continually raised by our members on the enhanced overtime scheme which, as members will have expected, featured prominently at yesterday’s meeting of Napo’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
From the information reaching us, it appears that some Probation Regions have departed from the agreed arrangements that overtime is a matter for discussion at Regional JCC meetings and between staff and managers. We are being told that in some areas, senior management have declared that there will be no access to overtime either in respect of the upcoming launch of SDS 40 and the associated bonus scheme, or in relation to the current operational pressures across Probation, which are resulting in members in many areas reporting excessive workloads.
We continue to press senior Probation Management for answers to the confusion that seems to have its roots in poor communication and/or incorrect interpretation of the guidance issued by the employer.
Meanwhile, we have organised an urgent meeting between Napo Branch Chairs and Napo Officers and Officials next Tuesday lunchtime to try and build an up-to-date picture on exactly what is going on in advance of the official returns that we have been promised later this month.
We will endeavour to issue guidance from Napo just as soon as we can over the next few days. We appreciate how all of the uncertainty around implementation of the scheme is impacting on already hard-pressed members, and we are absolutely determined to find a way out of what is fast becoming an unnecessary shambles.