On Thursday 10 and Friday 11 October, hundreds of UNISON members convened in Llandudno, Wales for the 2024 Police, Probation and CAFCASS conference.
One of the issues at the top of the conference agenda was ‘poverty pay’ in the probation service.
Introducing the motion, Chris brand from the probation service sector committee said, “We have probation staff living in poverty on the wages they’re given. The lowest pay point of band two has been overtaken by the national living wage, and workers have been cruelly denied a cost of living rise.”
On top of this, the motion noted that probation staff are being asked, on an increasingly frequent basis, to undertake new duties, responsibilities and working patterns that are stretching the credibility of their current job descriptions.
The motion passed unanimously, alongside a similar motion introduced by the Police Staff Council of England and Wales, that called for the union to address low pay across police staff. Currently, only 13 police forces and nine police and crime commissioner offices are accredited as real living wage employers.
Psychological support
One of the most moving debates of the day was sparked by a motion calling for psychological support for all staff. Introduced by Mel Anderson from the Eastern region’s probation branch, the motion noted that a combination of ‘excessive workloads, not enough staff and an increasingly inexperienced workforce’ makes the work of probation workers ‘harder than ever.’
Speaking in support of the motion, Eliza Vasquez-Walters (pictured) from UNISON’s national probation committee, said: “Everyone working in the criminal justice service absorbs a huge amount of trauma.
“The stress is very real, and has increased since lockdown. If an employer is serious about keeping staff, and keeping them well and safe, then it’s vital that psychological support is part of the package.”
Speaking in support of the motion, a spokesperson from Norfolk and Suffolk Police branch shared her personal experience of being diagnosed with work-related post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I am still able to do my job because I have received care from an in-house psychologist,” she said. “Without the psychological support I received, I would not be working for Norfolk Police. Everyone who has a job that challenges them emotionally needs counselling and psychological care.”
In a later session, conference delegates were also presented with the results of the most recent police staff pay and morale survey, which found that the majority of police staff (75%) suffered with mental health difficulties related to their role.
Police, Probation and CAFCASS service group
The article ‘Everyone working absorbs a huge amount of trauma’ first appeared on the UNISON National site.