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Corrective Services
UK Probation officers take a stand
Napo is the trade union, professional association and campaign organisation for almost seven thousand people working in the National Probation Service and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass). in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The union is recommending industrial action as part of its workloads campaign.
The union says: 'Despite attempts by Napo to negotiate policies on workload prioritisation and workload protection over several years, to date most areas have not been prepared to meet the basic assurances we have sought in respect of workloads.'
The union says it is calling for mechanisms to: Monitor workloads; ensure that where workloads exceed an acceptable level, managers will set tasks aside; enable individuals to approach their managers when workloads are excessive and a guarantee that these concerns will be addressed; provide a list of tasks that can be set aside; and ensure that there is clarity on the amount of time involved in any new task, and what work should be relinquished in order to accommodate it.
Napo says if negotiations fail to produce an agreed outcome to this dispute, industrial action could if supported by ballot commence with a one-day strike on 29 January. Napo has welcomed the development of a national workload measurement tool (WMT). The WMT will be piloted in eight areas starting in January 2003, and will be introduced nationwide later in the year.
(Eds note: Napo is the trade union, professional association and campaign organisation for almost seven thousand people working in the National Probation Service and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass). Our members work in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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