News Room

The union representing Scotland’s 3500 Prison Officers is calling on the 2026 Scottish Parliamentary election to be a turning point for Scotland’s crisis hit prison system. 

Commenting on the outcome of the Report from the House of Commons Justice Committee into “Ending the Cycle of Reoffending” Steve Gillan, General Secretary of the POA said:

Please find attached NEC minutes for the 14^th January 2026 for your information.

Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of all POA members.

Retiring Prison Officers are being left in a state of financial and emotional distress because of the failure of private pension administrators, Capita, to make pension payments on time. 

As part of a NTUC joint trade unions, the POA has written to the Cabinet Office calling for urgent and effective action to address continuing failures in the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

The General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU), of which the POA are an affiliate, launched a Survey for Workers’ Voices on Trade Union Education on 19^th January 2026, as part of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project with SOAS University of London’s Economics Department. 

Today a Ruling was published which retains the use of PAVA incapacitant spray within the Youth Custody Prisons in England and Wales.

With reference to POA Circular 54/2025, the Consultative Committee has now been formed, and their first meeting took place on 12^th and 13^th January 2026.

Please find attached NEC minutes for the 23^rd December 2025 for your information.