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Latest News

As a result of Assistant General Secretary Mr Mick Pimblett taking up his employed and elected post of Deputy General Secretary this has created a vacancy for an Assistant General Secretary.

A new union-backed cross-party parliamentary campaign launched by Kim Johnson (Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside) to insource prison maintenance is asking POA members to provide descriptions of the disrepair and problematic conditions in their workplaces and the impact this has on their work. 

Watch National Chair Mark Fairhurst give evidence at Justice and Home Affairs Committee Tuesday 14 January 2025

In a blistering evidence session to the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee Mark Fairhurst, National Chair of the Prison Officers Association told the committee that a major crisis in recruitment and retention is destabilising prisons and endangering staff and prisoners. 

Action Zone 


Prison Officers’ Association - Advert to ex-prison staff

Did you work at Medomsley Detention Centre, or interact with anyone who did? The PPO needs to hear from you. Click here to read more


Listen now to episode 54 of the POA Podcast - POA and the Valley Parade Memorial Tournament Click here 

 

 

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Need help at work?

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Need legal advice?

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Not a POA member?

You can join today to access our benefits, help and advice

“The support from my union and Thompsons has been faultless. It’s reassuring to know that my family are now financially secure and we don’t have to worry about the cost of any treatment.”

Six-figure compensation awarded to Prison Officers’ Association member with lung cancer

Why join the POA?

We’ll support you when you have a problem at work and work to improve your Terms and Conditions. But that’s not all we’re about. Being a POA member also gives you access to a whole host of other benefits.

POA members gain from a wide range of benefits negotiated by your Union - with potential savings far above the cost of annual subscription! These are regularly updated and cover everything from lifestyle to health, motoring, technology, shopping, charity support, legal and financial. Here is a small sample:

  • Health and wellbeing – savings, discounts, eyecare, counselling, rehabilitation services
  • Legal Services – Personal Injury, Employment, Deaths in Custody, Will Writing
  • Cars – breakdown cover, purchase discounts, hire, new and used vehicles
  • Leisure and Travel – short breaks, holidays, car hire, travel insurance
  • Financial Services – advisory services, savings and loans, cashbacks and discounts, help with difficulties, tax
  • Insurance – Life Assurance, Income Protection, Vehicle and Home, Pet, Travel insurance
  • Technology and Mobiles – group discount schemes
  • Charities offering assistance to members – distress and hardship relief, money and debt problems, allowance and grants, confidential helpline
  • Shop – food and household brands, goods and luxury items, payment cashback card, Blue Light discount card.

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.