GFTU BGCM 2019 Minutes

prospect of a way of working that increased rather than managed the risk to the

public. Let’s stop and think about that. Over the last four years there has been

a 43% increase in serious further offences and in the probation world serious

further offences are things like rape and murder. That is what has happened

over the four years we have endured the changes to the system. On top of that,

there has been a huge exodus of staff through early retirement, redundancy or

severance when the privateers bullied people to accept far reduced exit terms

and a level of service so low that the Chief Inspector of Probation described the

new system as “irredeemably flawed”.

Many of the difficulties we have faced were based around the split in the

service. The current plans simply move the line along, not remove it. So the

General Secretary and I had a muted celebration on Thursday evening. We

have not yet achieved our goal. Our goal is a unified service run for public

benefit, not private profit, and one rooted in the local community, able to deliver

a service in partnership with local agencies and in many cases contracting

specialist voluntary and third sector providers to fit local needs and priorities.

So NAPO’s fight continues. We will not stop until we have rebuilt probation to

the level we previously attained for public protection, not private profit, with

clients and the local community at the centre of all that we do. Probation

professionals deserve better than the chaos we currently endure. Being Civil

Service automatons with the outsourced HR and payroll is no fun at all. Bring

us back our professional best, able to think critically about the work that we do

and how we are doing it, able to fight against social injustice in everything that

we do. We invite all affiliates to join and support NAPO in this vital work. Our

struggle continues. (Applause)

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, colleague.

The motion was formally seconded

THE PRESIDENT: Would anybody like to speak on this or Chris Grayling’s record?

(No response) Okay.

Motion 6 was CARRIED unanimously

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