The National Chairman

December 2005

THE VALUE OF LOYAL LONG SERVICE

The Prison Service in England and Wales has made a most disgraceful pay submission to the Prison Service Pay Review Body, in regard to the 1st April 2006 pay award. The thrust of the Prison Service pay offer is that those officers on long service increments (LSI) receive a 0% pay award. 48% of Prison Officers are currently either attracting LSI’s or about to become eligible.

The Prison Service has made a derisory offer of 0.5% to the other 52% of POA members. The public Prison Service in 2004/2005 recorded its most successful year. It met 14 of its 18 top targets. Mr Phil Wheatley, Director General of the Prison Service, stated the following at POA Annual Conference in Southport in May 2005:

"These successes have been achieved because we have got skilled and dedicated staff. This level of achievement would not be seen if we did not."

These words have a very hollow ring to them, when set against the disgraceful actions of the Prison Service. The Right Honourable Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC, Minister of State for Criminal Justice and Offender Management, at the same Annual Conference stated:

"Sometimes it feels that nobody notices, nobody cares and nobody records the commitment and the passion and the hard work. I want to tell you that that is very much understood by me but it is also understood by this Government and understood by the Home Secretary".

A 0% pay award is in fact a pay reduction for those POA members who have given a long and valued service. The disgraceful comments made by a member of the Prisons Board that long service Prison Officers are overpaid, should be and has been condemned. This comment is made at a time when POA members have a record number of prisoners in their charge, an increase on assaults of staff and inmates, staff being ordered to work past their evening finishing times at some establishments to 23:00 hours and beyond, to service private profiteering contractors. These staff deserve better than comments that they are overpaid.

The Prison Board's comments that those on LSI's are only paid on a 'time served' basis and that these LSI's should be allowed to 'wither on the vine' is a total disgrace and an insult. The Prison Board, in the years prior to the introduction of the Prison Service Pay Review Body, imposed pay awards to create a situation where it took longer for a prison officer to reach the maximum pay award. Their current action has a stench of hypocrisy when viewed against their obscene salaries that range between £80-145k drawn on the backs of the professional men and women, working on the front line of the most over crowded prisons in Western Europe, who they treat with such distain.

The POA entered into the Heads of Agreement without prejudice talks to stop Market Testing. This was the corporate view of the entire NEC and has never been anything else. We must protect the current terms and conditions of all POA members, regardless of rank or time in service. The NEC when making corporate decisions discuss and vote on propositions. Once those decisions have been made, the NEC must then speak with a united voice. The negotiations over the Heads of Agreement have been conducted by individual members of the NEC on behalf of all the NEC and in line with policies passed at Conference.

I hope 2006 brings prosperity to all POA members and I also hope that all POA members and their families enjoy and have a very merry Christmas. The year ahead will be a challenging one. We face a Prison Service in England and Wales that does not value the work done by POA members. In Scotland, we face a further round of financial savings. Northern Ireland face the threat of privatisation and the uncertainty of a fluctuating prison population, Special Hospitals the challenged of an agenda for change, the Private Sector the continued fight for improved terms and conditions and POA Trade Union recognition. If we stand united we can win all our forthcoming battles. The POA will defend the terms and conditions of its membership. We have recently received the good news that our campaign, alongside other Public Sector Unions has preserved the pension rights of those currently in service. We must continue to fight for those who follow on behind us. The job of a Trade Union must be to look after all of its members and protect future employment.

I would like to thank all those branches that nominated me to continue for a further 5 year term as National Chairman. I am proud and privileged to lead the POA. I would also like to congratulate Steve Gillan on his success in being unopposed Finance Officer.

Thank you.

Colin Moses
National Chairman