CIRC 034: NATIONAL CHAIR UPDATE MAY 2025

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

THE LATE TONY FREEL - HONORARY LIFE MEMBER

It is with great sadness we report to the membership the death of Honorary Life Member Tony Freel, who passed away on Saturday 17^th May 2025. Tony joined the Prison Service in 1974. He was elected to the Branch Committee at Liverpool in 1982. Tony was elected as Branch Secretary at Liverpool from 1983 to 1996. He was then elected to the NEC in 1996 until 2001 and became National Vice Chair in 2001 until 2005. I am sure many of you will have fond memories of him.

 

Pay Award 2025/26

The Government have confirmed the following in respect of the pay award for Prison Officers and related grades in public sector prisons in England and Wales:

The Government is accepting all 13 recommendations made by the review body for 2025/26. Accepting these recommendations in full will deliver a pay rise of at least 4% of base pay for all eligible prison staff between Operational Support Grade and Governors (Bands 2-11).

Band 2 staff will receive the award in addition to the National Living Wage increase applied from 1st April 2025.

They are accepting Recommendation 11, implementing a temporary increase of 5% to the unsocial hours allowance for Band 2 Operational Support Grades. This will be in place for a maximum period of 2 years, to 31st March 2027, whilst we consider arrangements for unsocial hours working for future years as part of future Pay Review Body remits.

In addition, the introduction of a temporary allowance for PEIs will benefit the service in a number of ways. It will act as a financial incentive to make the role more attractive to new and existing staff, thereby helping to build and maintain a stable, skilled, and knowledgeable workforce.

Full details of the award can be accessed via the following link;

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/psprb-twenty-fourth-report-on-england-and-wales-2025

Pay Review Body

For your information the PSPRB are arranging visits in June and July to the following establishments:

• Chelmsford
• Doncaster
• Hatfield
• Lowdham Grange
• Portland
• Styal
• The Verne
• Warren Hill
• Woodhill
• Wormwood Scrubs

 

Assaults against emergency workers: Update to CPS prosecution guidance

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has  updated its guidance to prosecutors to encourage them to consider the full range of available offences when charging assaults against emergency workers. The guidance is expected to deliver swifter justice in many cases for emergency workers who are assaulted while carrying out their duty, by empowering prosecutors to select the charge that best fits the seriousness of the case – including those which can be dealt with more swiftly in the magistrates’ court. Current CPS guidance prevents prosecutors from bringing charges which could be dealt with quickly in the magistrates' courts if, instead, a charge of assaulting an emergency worker (AEW) is available. The AEW offence was introduced by the 2018 Assaults on Emergency Workers Act and is triable both in the magistrates' courts and the Crown Court. This means that many cases end up in the Crown Court which do not need to be there, usually because the defendant elects to have a Crown Court trial, and then victims have to wait many months and sometimes years to see that justice is done.

The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/assaults-against-emergency-workers-update-cps-prosecution-guidance

 

Independent Sentencing Review

Full details of the recent sentencing review conducted by David Gauke can be accessed via the following link:

Independent Sentencing Review - Final report and proposals for reform

 

POA PENSION SURVEY 2025 68 IS TOO LATE

As part of the POAs ongoing “68 is too late” campaign the POA are conducting a Pension Survey for members based in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. The data gathered from this survey will be added to data previously collected from our colleagues in Scotland in April 2024.

It is hoped that the data gathered will allow Unity Consulting Scotland to refresh the 68 is too late campaign and raise evidence backed arguments across the campaign. If you are a POA member in the mental health services or the private prison estate and your retirement age is linked to your state retirement age, then please complete the survey. The survey can be found online:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/POA68IsTooLate

The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete and will be live until Friday 13^th June 2025.

 

POA Scotland

NHS AfC PAY OFFER

The NHS pay offer was for a 2-year deal. Year 1 was for 4.25% and year 2 was for 3.75%. The offer was accepted by the health trade unions, including the POA membership in the State Hospital, Carstairs. They voted in favour of the deal by a margin of 79%.

 

SPS PAY OFFER(S)

SPS have tabled two offers to the trade unions to date. The first was a 3-year deal at 3% for each year, in line with government pay policy. This was rejected by the negotiators of all 3 trade unions at the table. The second offer was again for 3 % in a single year deal, as outlined in government pay policy. This was also rejected by the negotiators. The SPS then replicated the offer made to the NHS  in Scotland, which is 4.25% this year and 3.75% next year. Compound value of 8.26% over the term of the offer. The membership will be balloted on this latest offer.

 

Northern Ireland Area Committee

Various branches have met with the Pay Review Body and presented their cases for a pay award. Branch committees were also involved in these meetings. A meeting has been arranged with the Pay Review Body. The Area Committee will be meeting with the management side and hopefully put forward a

joint submission to the Pay Review Body.

 

Independent Review of Separation Centres

The Government have announced that Jonathan Hall KC will conduct the independent review into Separation Centres. The POA will engage fully with this review.

 

All the best.

Mark Fairhurst
National Chair