CIRC 012: NATIONAL CHAIR UPDATE FEBRUARY 2025

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

Pay Award

The Prison Service Pay Review Body have confirmed they intend to submit their recommendations to the Government in mid-April. This is 6 weeks earlier than last year. It is then a matter for Government as to what recommendations they accept and when the award is actioned. 

POA Scotland

The Scottish National Committee are currently negotiating a pay award. The stance from the Scottish Government is that a cap of 3% will be applied to public sector workers, and they are keen to agree a multi-year pay deal within that cap.

Neonatal Care

The Government has confirmed a new right to neonatal care leave and pay for employees which will come into effect from 6^th April 2025. The MoJ will be implementing a neonatal care leave and pay policy to ensure compliance with the new legislation. The neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill will come into force on 6^th  April 2025. It will allow parents to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave, in addition to other leave entitlements such as maternity and paternity leave, so that they can spend more time with their baby at what is a hugely stressful time.

Neonatal care leave will be available to employees from their first day in a new job and will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into hospital up to the age of 28 days, and who have a continuous stay in hospital of 7 full days or more. The new policy describes the statutory and occupational entitlements for employees whose baby or babies are born on or after the 6^th April 2025 and receive neonatal care within 28 days of their birth and remain in hospital for at least seven consecutive days. This includes intended parents who are having a baby via a surrogacy arrangement and adoptive parents. Employees will have 68 weeks to take their leave and pay entitlements from their baby’s first day of admission into neonatal care. The exact amount of leave and pay an employee receives will depend on how long the baby receives neonatal care. 

Market Supplements

All POA members in receipt of ‘market supplements’ should receive a letter from HMPPS confirming their future plans:

HMPPS will undertake an annual internal review of Market Supplement arrangements at specific prisons each Autumn. The process will be led by senior operational leaders at the Prisons Operational Management Committee – Resourcing (POMC-R). During the review process, data related to staffing forecasts, staff retention rates, stability and regime delivery will be considered alongside local operational insights. Decisions will be communicated to staff and stakeholders in the early new year and come into effect in the following April.

Sites which currently qualify to receive Market Supplements will retain that status until at least March 2026.  In future, the value of your Market Supplement may be reduced (fully or partially) as part of HMPPS’ confirmation of future pay awards, which are introduced following recommendations made by the Prison Service Pay Review Body. In addition, Market Supplements may be withdrawn from particular sites in the event that HMPPS considers that it is no longer necessary for a site to receive a supplement. 

The payments will also remain in place for job advertisements and will be applicable for Band 3 Prison Officer new starters.

 

All the best.

Mark Fairhurst
National Chair