When it became clear that many UNISON members working in the National Probation Service were owed wages, branches and organisers across the South East acted quickly to make sure they knew how to make a claim.
The National Probation Service (NPS) had failed to apply a critical contractual term. This stated that staff who were appointed, promoted or regraded during the period between 1 October and 31 March should be granted their first increment on the six-month anniversary of their appointment, promotion or regrading. It was these UNISON members that potentially suffered financial losses when the NPS failed to apply the increment correctly – and the same members who we knew it was important to reach out to.
This financial loss compounds a tough few years for staff in the Probation Service. UNISON South East regional organiser James Smith notes:
Our union recognises that our members in the Probation Service are often overworked, their services are often under-staffed and the pay freezes they have experienced have consistently seen their wages cut in real terms.
As workload and the cost of living rises, it’s bad enough to see the money you take home being stretched thinner and thinner. It’s even worse when you don’t receive the full wage you’ve earned. James continues:
The money we’re hoping to obtain for members is not extra money, its money they should have had already. We’re using a variety of avenues to ensure they get the money they have earned and deserve.
Our union used a range of methods to get in touch with UNISON members in probation. But perhaps the most successful was an attempt to call every member who we thought might be affected. This phone banking exercise meant making literally hundreds of calls over a 2 week period. UNISON South East area organiser Julie Murdoch was one of the organisers involved and said:
I think most members appreciated us getting in touch. One wrote to me afterwards as part of making the claim: ‘Thank you again for raising this for us. It is great to know we have our union to support us!’ Ultimately that’s key to what we’re about as a union, making sure our members know we’re here for them.
To secure the compensation these members are due, UNISON are currently preparing unlawful deduction of wages claims on behalf of members who submitted completed case forms.
UNISON is the UK’s largest trade union, representing public service workers, including probation employees and police support staff. Visit our website to join UNISON.
