CIRC 045: NATIONAL CHAIR UPDATE JUNE 2023

Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of all POA members.

Pay Award 2023/24

The Prison Service Pay Review Body have confirmed they have submitted their recommendations to the Government. We now await a Government decision and publication of the recommendations.

Recent announcement about Civil Service Pay

The Cabinet Office recently announced that civil service departments would be allowed to make a one-off (non-consolidated) payment of £1,500 to non-SCS (Senior Civil Service) staff. This is in recognition of the professionalism and commitment the Civil Service demonstrates to deliver vital public services.

Staff in scope of the announcement are those covered by this year’s Civil Service pay remit guidance (all non-SCS staff working in MoJ HQ, HMCTS, LAA, OPG, CICA), and non-SCS staff in the Probation Service. This award does not include Operational Staff in Prisons such as Prison Officer and OSG grades because they are subject to a Pay Review Body. The NEC have made the PRB aware of the unfairness of this announcement. We are all civil servants and are all suffering due to this cost-of-living crisis and should therefore be included within this award.

One HMPPS

At a recent meeting it was “categorically confirmed that the frontline in Prisons will be protected from any cuts.” The One HMPPS team confirmed that no Operational frontline staff within Prisons will be subject to ‘efficiencies’ due to the formation of One HMPPS. They currently have to save £37 million pounds and have identified £28 million in cuts with a further £9 million to be sourced. The restructure of HQ and ‘backroom’ support staff will bear the brunt of efficiency savings.

POA Scotland

Pay talks for 2023-2024 are underway although at very early stages. Scottish Government pay policy is for circa 3% for all public services, with scope to increase that to circa 5% if involving elements of reform. The Scottish National Committee are looking at the feasibility of a multi-year deal. 

PAVA in YCS Under 18 estate

An evaluation of the roll out of PAVA and its benefits in the closed adult male estate, along with statistics relating to violence within the juvenile (under 18) estate will be presented to the Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk MP by July at the latest. Within this evaluation HMPPS will make recommendations.

The POA have campaigned tirelessly to convince Government to issue PAVA to Prison Officers working within the YCS estate covering under 18 Prisoners.

A final decision to issue PAVA or not will sit with the Secretary of State for Justice.

Coronation Medal

Staff are eligible to receive the medal if they are:

  • employed in the public sector prison service, in an eligible operational grade, on Saturday 6th May 2023: and
  • have completed 5 full calendar years’ service at that time in an eligible operational grade. The total of 5 years’ service may be aggregated, but unpaid (unless for lengthy sickness absence) or broken service will not count. There is, however, no limit on the amount of unpaid or broken service provided that the correct overall total of 5 years’ aggregated service is fully accounted for.

    The following grades are eligible to receive the medal:

  • Senior Civil Servant (operational background)
  • Bands 9-12 / Operational Senior Managers
  • Bands 6-8 / Operational Managers
  • Band 5 / Custodial Managers
  • Band 4 / Supervising Officer
  • Band 3-4 / Prison Officer (including specialists)
  • Band 2 / Operational Support

Members of staff, who have less than 5 years’ service with the public sector prison service, may have previously served as a member of the Armed Forces or as a member of another eligible Emergency Service. Providing the member of staff was in service in HMPPS on 6 May 2023 and their aggregated service amounted to 5 years, they will be eligible for the medal. Members of staff will need to provide proof of qualifying service.

National Detached Duty

Concerns have been raised from staff subject to sickness warnings that they have been denied the opportunity to attend National Detached Duty. HMPPS have now clarified their position:

  • There is no reference in the NDD guidance to being on sick monitoring so no reasons why staff on sick monitoring can’t go on DD.
  • The current OSP policy states “Staff who are currently on sickness monitoring and restricted duties can be considered for inclusion on the scheme, on a case-by-case basis”.

Justice Committee – Prison operational workforce survey

Please access the following link to view the results of an independent survey that is a damning indictment on HMPPS:

https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/122073/default/ 

Injury to feelings claims

Any POA member who submitted a tribunal claim for injury to feelings is encouraged to read POA Circular 43/2023 which can be accessed via the POA website or from your local POA branch committee. 

Regimes

The NEC are increasingly being made aware that some branches are being pressured by senior managers to provide a ‘full regime.’ This is despite the majority of Prisons having to provide detached duty, cope with absences, high attrition levels, restricted duties and staff training, meaning that most of the time non effectives run above 30%. I have been clear throughout that the desire by leaders to provide more time out of cell and activities for prisoners is not a priority. The priority is your safety at work and providing safe, purposeful and constructive regimes for prisoners that reduce violence and increase rehabilitation prospects. Unlocking prisoners just for the sake of time out of cell with little to occupy them is not constructive.

 

Your regime and unlock numbers must be agreed with your Governor subject to risk assessments and available resources.

Please note a quote from the RMP Guidance:

  1. Staffing Ratios

9.1 It is important to note that staff to prisoner ratios alone must not be used as a basis to set staffing levels and that staffing numbers must only be established in consideration of the hazards and their risks, as identified within H&S RAs and the local controls available to reduce risk.

If you do not have 100% of staff on duty, then you cannot cover 100% of the tasks expected of you and therefore some desirable tasks must be dropped.

Branches are encouraged to move away from full wing unlocks. It is safer to supervise smaller more manageable numbers of prisoners with adequate staffing levels available.

Until there is a major investment within the service that will provide adequate staffing levels and activity spaces for all in our care, we must ensure we work as safely as we can and avoid being bullied into unsafe regimes because our senior leaders desire it. Remember, the people who want “full regimes” will not be unlocking cell doors.

If any branch has concerns, they should immediately contact their NEC representative.

 

All the best.

Mark Fairhurst
National Chair

Representing over 30,000 Prison, Correctional and Secure Psychiatric Workers, the POA is the largest UK Union in this sector, able to trace its roots back more than 100 years.