Probation Staff Vote to Strike Over Pay and Workloads After Early-Release Scheme

Probation staff in England and Wales have voted for strike action over pay and workloads, which their union says have got worse since the Government’s early-release scheme to ease prison overcrowding. Napo says plans for walkouts are now being drawn up.

Why are probation staff striking?

Napo, which represents staff in probation and the family courts, called the 5% pay offer “inadequate” and says the employer has not agreed any solutions to the workload problem.

The union says workloads have got worse since the early-release scheme began, with members doing thousands of hours of unpaid overtime. It says probation pay has stagnated since 2010, and that reception staff earn just above the minimum wage – the lowest pay in the civil service.

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What happens next?

Napo says plans are being made to launch strike action at a later stage. No dates have been set yet.

Source: Napo.