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Message from National Chairman - Issue 306th March 2008 Dear Colleagues MEETING WITH JACK STRAW On the 4th March 2008 I met Jack Straw, David Hanson and representatives from the Prison Service, along with members of the National Executive Committee. The meeting was extremely productive and a sound platform was established to move industrial relations forward. I made it perfectly clear to Jack Straw that the union was not happy with his announcement to Parliament on 7th January 2008, in respect of Section 127. I advised him of the decisions following the Special Delegates Conference in respect of the three motions and our intention to pursue the matter to the European Courts. The prison population is obviously a key issue for the Government, the Prison Service and for you the professional men and women who manage the day to day running of establishments, against the backdrop of staff shortages. The NEC spoke at length over the prison population and outlined to Jack that we as a union had been trying to assist the Prison Service in managing prisoners in their rightful place, Public Sector Prisons. We cannot allow prisoners to be housed in Police and Court cells at extortionate rates. Jack Straw agreed that short term measures could be introduced providing the prisons were safe, decent and secure. A POA circular will be promulgated on this matter seeking options to maximise the use of current prison accommodation, or to increase the operational capacity of a prison, providing the necessary resources are put in place. To this end, we again raised our concerns over the policy on CSH and the failure of the Prison Service to put forward an appropriate level of pay to introduce Payment Plus. It was made clear to the POA that discussions at Ministerial level will take place to uplift the previous offer of £16.00 per hour for Payment Plus, so that a new fair and equitable system can be put forward to allow all POA members access to the scheme. Once the revised offer has been put to the Executive and the policy for the administration on Payment Plus has been agreed, the National Executive Committee will ensure a workplace ballot takes place so that you have the democratic right to accept or reject the change on your terms and conditions. I will keep you updated as we progress the policies of this union over the forthcoming weeks. Colin Moses |
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