*********NPS PAY BALLOT URGENT*********
UNISON Member Briefing NPS Pay Offer 2018 (1)
Annex A – Pay-scale illustrations
NPS Pay Modernisation bulletin 2
Dear Colleagues
As you will be aware from previous correspondence, UNISON is to ballot NPS members this month on a significant and far reaching pay modernisation offer for NPS staff. The offer relates only to the NPS.
CRC staff will not therefore be balloted; but see below for statement on the implications of the offer for our CRC members.
Information on the offer will be published officially by the NPS and the Probation Unions on Monday 15 October. The NPS will publish on its intranet.
UNISON will publish at: www.unison.org.uk/npspay18
UNISON has been set an ambitious timetable for the consultation by the NPS, which would like to implement the pay offer in November, subject, of course, to a majority members in each of the three Probation unions voting to accept it.
Our ballot runs from 18 October and will close on 8 November.
It will be a fully postal ballot with voting papers sent direct to NPS members’ home addresses with a pre-paid envelope for the return of completed voting papers by the closing date. A ballot pack will start to be sent out to members from this office from Monday 15 October. The mailing will be first class, so members are likely to start to receive materials as soon as Tuesday 16 October.
NPS members who do not receive a ballot paper by Monday 22 October should ring UNISON Direct on 0800 0 857 857 to request a replacement be sent to them. The last day on which members will be able to request a replacement ballot paper is Friday 2 November (mid-day).
UNISON hopes that branches and regions are able to run some pay offer presentations for NPS members to attend during the above ballot period. We have asked for the UNISON Divisional Convenors to be released for 100% facility time during our 3 week ballot period to facilitate this. At this point in time, we are waiting for a response from the NPS, but hopefully this will be forthcoming and branches and regions are encouraged to start planning presentations where possible now.
NPS staff who are not in a trade union will not get a vote on the pay offer. All non union members should therefore be encouraged to join UNISON now so that they can take part in this important vote. Non-members can join by calling 0800 0 857 857, or by visiting www.join.unison.org.uk
October/November have been designated as months for UNISON to focus on recruitment activity, and this ballot provides an ideal opportunity to undertake some targeted recruitment in the National Probation Service. The NPS has recruited over 1,000 staff over the last 12 months. These staff will not have a voice on the far reaching pay modernisation proposals unless they are in a trade union.
The last date on which non-members can join UNISON in order to vote is Friday 26 October.
Attached to this e-mail you will find the following resources, most of which are contained in the ballot pack which will be sent to members:
1. Member letter
2. UNISON Pay Offer Briefing
3. Pay Scale Illustrations
Also attached is a UNISON power point presentation which branches and regions can use at workplace meetings to publicise the offer. I hope that this is useful. Please provide any feedback from the meetings.
UNISON appreciates that information about the offer will be of great interest to members working for the CRCs. UNISON’s policy is to maintain a broadly comparable pay and grading system across the NPS and the CRCs, so, if the NPS pay offer is accepted by NPS members, we will want to deliver comparable benefits for our CRC members. UNISON’s aim is to see the Probation Service reunited, so we do not want to see big differences in pay and conditions across the NPS/CRC split.
Thanks you in advance for your help and assistance in delivering what we hope will be a high turnout in the NPS ballot.
Regards
Ben
Ben Priestley
National Officer
Local Government , Police and Justice
UNISON Centre
130 Euston Road
London
NW1 2AY