Unions sign charter for justice workers

Press release 11 December 2008

To coincide with National Justice Week (8-12 December) and ahead of Justice Minister David Hansen's visit to the North East, five of the unions involved in the criminal justice system have signed up to a regional ten-point Charter which calls for significant changes to the way the system is currently run.

The five unions are NAPO, POA, PCS, UCU and Unison, covering probation officers, prison officers, court workers, teachers and administrators within all sections of the criminal justice system. Amongst other things, the Charter calls for justice workers to be acknowledged by the Government for the vital role they play in maintaining a safe and just society, and for the following to be addressed:-

• resources should be allocated on the basis of workload demands, with no more arbitrary cuts imposed in the name of efficiency savings;
• no more spurious targets should set by politicians which deflect resources from where they are most needed;
• there should be no more privatisation in the sector and full transparency of all contracts within the justice sector, including contracted out services such as unit costs, contract lengths and full specifications and workers' terms and conditions;
• the safety of workers in the sector should be paramount and no cuts made which could have a detrimental effect on staff safety.

The Charter also covers issues around fair pay, workloads, practices, staff safety, planning, leadership and internal systems.

Megan Elliott, NAPO Convenor in the region said: 'This Charter, and the support it has received from all of the unions involved illustrates the strength of feeling and anxieties around, and the constant state of flux the criminal justice system finds itself in. This is not a conducive environment for staff to function effectively or safely, which is imperative given their responsibilities.'

Joe Simpson, POA Northern Executive Officer, said: 'We hope this Charter can go some way to addressing the concerns of our members. As it stands, there are eight assaults a day on prison officers - this is not acceptable by any stretch of the imagination. Staff safety is one of our primary concerns and should be for the Government too.'

Kevin Rowan, Northern TUC, Regional Secretary said: 'The Northern TUC gives its full support to this Charter. The people who work in criminal justice are under intense pressure as the system is just about coping at maximum capacity. These workers provide a fundamental and critical service and they should be afforded all the rights of those working in any sector.

'Although the Charter is regional, the concerns expressed within it are national and I would urge the Government to take heed of the very real and grave problems brought to them by the people at the sharp end.'

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