- Conference
- 2019 Police & Justice Service Group Conference
- Date
- 7 June 2019
- Decision
- Carried
Conference recognises the importance of national collective bargaining for the protection of members’ terms and conditions across all sectors in the Service Group. The Police Staff Council for England and Wales and the Police Scotland and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) negotiating machineries are essential for this protection. National collective bargaining allows UNISON and our sister trade unions to reflect the strength and depth of our respective memberships and to come together to work in partnership on behalf of those members.
Conference notes with concern the fragmentation of collective bargaining in probation with the breakup of the Probation National Negotiating Council (NNC) in 2015. The dismantling of the NNC was part of a government attempt to weaken the influence and strength of the trade unions in probation. Since the end of the NNC, the National Probation Service took four years to call a meeting of the replacement Joint Negotiating Committee for its workforce and the joint negotiating arrangements in some of the Community Rehabilitation Companies have, either failed to materialise, or been a grave disappointment in negotiating terms. Community Rehabilitation Companies have in some cases paid lip service to collective bargaining.
Conference believes that it is essential that national collective bargaining is re-established for the Probation Service in England and Wales.
Conference therefore calls on the Service Group Executive to seek to ensure that our goal of a locally run and accountable probation service in England and Wales is accompanied by the re-establishment of national collective bargaining for all probation workers.