GFTU BGCM 2019 Minutes

is still being resisted by Government, yet the Secretary of State could find £1.2

million with a click of his fingers to pay off Working Links’ creditors last week.

That is how much respect our workers are getting. When Working Links fell

into administration they had one remaining director left in a lifeboat with a big

hole in it. We tried to reach him for comment. We understand he was in

Thailand at the time. That, I think, sums it up.

So it is a graphic example of the way in which our members have been treated

and the injustice that exists, as suggested in the motion, in terms of

harmonisation of pay. Our campaign that Katie has talked about will be about

the operational, the vocational aspects of probation going forward, but also to

get our members justice on pay. 20% of the work will remain in the third and

private sector for the foreseeable future, unless and until we get a Labour

Government that will scrap the whole thing, but our campaign will continue.

But let me say this. We do not intend to see our members who it is intended

will undertake that work left behind, left behind without hope, because this

union will not be abandoning them. Don’t think, and I am sure you don’t, that

that 20% of the work that Katie has described is somehow of lesser value or

unimportant to the role of probation and the way in which we help and assist

clients. Let me tell you, it is high quality work, engaging with often problem

clients who present with a multitude of issues and it is a client base from which

many of those under supervision can and do gravitate into more serious

offences, work which in some of the remaining probation providers has all but

collapsed. So when you hear about the mixed market and a place for the

private sector from David Gauke in the week, you want to point him to

examples such as Serco. Thank goodness they are not involved in probation

and never will be, I hope, but they did dabble in that, having bought the

contracts for unpaid work, community service in London several years ago and

yet again making a ham fist of that and having to be bailed out by Government.

So there is evidence there that proves this will not work.

Finally, Chair, probation staff have been through the mill, thanks to the

wretched Grayling. I hope I do not have to mention his name any more over

the next day and a half. Probation staff, most especially in the CRCs, have

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