Agreement was reached at the end of January on the staff transfer and protections agreement that will cover the transfer of staff either to the National Probation Service or one of the 21 community rehabilitation companies.
Negotiations had been taking place since last summer, and UNISON had been forced to initiate a strike ballot late last year to bring the Ministry of Justice back to the table after talks broke down in November.
National officer Ben Priestley noted: “The dispute also needed the involvement of Acas to bring all the parties back together.”
UNISON’s probation committee met on 8 January to consider the final offer on the agreement and agreed to recommend it.
All probation members were consulted on whether they were prepared to accept the package of protection measures.
At the close of this ballot on 27 January, an overwhelming majority had voted to accept the package.
UNISON’s strike ballot on the issue has therefore been withdrawn.
The transfer and protections agreement contains important safeguards in relation to job security, pensions, continuity of employment and the continuation of national collective bargaining.
Agreeing to the package does not mean that UNISON has agreed to the government’s plans for probation, Mr Priestley added: “We will continue to oppose the break-up and privatisation of the service”.