CIRC 061: NATIONAL CHAIR UPDATE AUGUST 2024

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

 

POA SURVEY

Please be reminded that the current policy of the POA is not to engage in completion of the employer’s annual staff survey. This was determined via Conference Motion 42/2010 carried & reaffirmed by Conference Motion 86/2015 not being adopted.

The NEC have commissioned their own survey that we now encourage all POA members in public sector prisons in England and Wales to complete. It can be accessed in the comfort of your own home or on a smart phone. It will take about 20 minutes to complete, and we wish you to be as honest as possible. The results from the survey will be used as evidence to the Pay Review Body during the next round of pay submissions.

There will be future surveys for all other members in other jurisdictions in the due course.

PLEASE DO NOT COMPLETE THE ANNUAL HMPPS PEOPLE SURVEY 

PLEASE COMPLETE THE POA MEMBERS SURVEY ON THE FOLLOWING LINK;

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2Y7QPXJ

The survey is open now and will run until Wednesday 16^th October 2024.

  

MEAL BREAKS

It has been brought to the attention of the NEC that some members are not getting their entitled meal breaks, particularly staff who are working A shifts. Please be aware of the following entitlements as per Bulletin 8:

Meal Breaks 

14. Group Managers should ensure that all staff take proper meal breaks, where necessary arranging for a system of early and late meals to be taken. Meal breaks should normally be taken at the time usually associated with each meal and be an uninterrupted period of at least 30 minutes to give staff a reasonable break. The arrangements below should normally be followed:

Breakfast:   30 minutes between 07.30 ‑ 09.30

Midday:      60 minutes between 11.45 ‑ 14.00

Tea: 30 minutes between 16.00 ‑ 18.00 

All POA members should ensure they take their entitled meal breaks, especially their entitlement to a tea break if working an A shift. Please enforce your workplace rights. If you are having issues receiving meal breaks, please raise this with your local committee.

 

STAFF IN PROBATION

The NEC are aware that some sites are not conducting a thorough induction process for new recruits. This has led to some Officers who are in their probation not having their Payment Plus processed because they are unaware that they have to claim it via SOP. All local committees are asked to ensure their new entrant Prison Officers are thoroughly inducted and are taught how to use the SOP system. All new recruits should immediately check that any Payment Plus pay owed is processed.

SECURE HOSPITALS

We intend to run an indicative ballot in our secure Hospital sites in England and Wales to see if the membership accept the 5.5% pay award for NHS workers. POA members in Rampton, Ashworth and Broadmoor will be balloted in due course.

SUPPORT FOR POA MEMBERS

We are increasingly being made aware of tragedies within the membership due to the pressures you all face. Please do not suffer in silence. Members are reminded of the support services available:

POA Members:

A confidential telephone helpline offering a Free service to members suffering from stress and in need of support. If you're affected by stress and would like to get help and support, call 0800 107 6585. Lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Do you need to talk to a Counsellor right now? The POA confidential stress & support counselling phone line gives you the chance to talk to a professional counsellor from a place where you feel comfortable at a time to suit you.

The service is very simple to use:

Call 0800 107 6585

Say you are a member of POA, you will then be transferred to a counsellor.

It's as simple as that. Callers can talk to counsellors from the comfort of their own home at a time that suits them.

Members also have access to the Health Assured portal, if they prefer not to talk to someone. The portal contains lots of wellbeing resources and emotional health support. The portal can be access by logging in to the following link https://healthassuredeap.co.uk/

Log in details can be found at POA Circular 059/2020

Click on the below link for full details:

https://www.poauk.org.uk/our-union/member-benefits/health-well-being/

Employee Assist for HMPPS staff 

To access the website, which is available at work or at home log in via www.pamassist.co.uk (Username: HMPPS Password: HMPPS1). PAM Assist offers a wide range of services including the following:

• Counselling where clinically appropriate, mental ill health support, signposting to external sources of support if applicable. (All staff can access up to 6 free counselling sessions per year, where clinically appropriate)

• Health promotion and wellbeing including PAM Workshops and events

• Stress management

• Trauma debriefing and support delivered to individuals or groups of employees who have been involved in a traumatic incident.

• PAM Assist Therapy Solutions; Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

The Samaritans: Call 116 123  

PAVA IN YCS ESTATE

I have written to the Secretary of State for Justice asking for the immediate roll out of PAVA in the juvenile estate, specifically Feltham A, Wetherby and Werrington. The escalation in violence against staff is extremely concerning and our members deserve to be protected at work. I await a response. 

PAY AWARD

HMPPS have confirmed that this years pay award including back pay for all Bands 2-5 will be paid in September’s salary.

 

All the best.

 

MARK FAIRHURST
National Chair