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Buy photos » Probation workers strike outside their headquarters in Coventry. Picture by Jon Mullis 45.013.019.cov.jm1
PROBATION staff have joined the growing band of striking public sector workers in anger at Government plans to privatise 70 per cent of the service.
Tuesday’s walk out and protest at service’s headquarters at Sheriff’s Court in the city centre was only the fourth in the probation workers’ union NAPO’s 106-year history.
Members believe Secretary of State Chris Grayling’s plans will undermine public protection and put communities at risk.
They also feel they will not be able to provide adequate service for offenders wanting to turn their lives around.
“We remain hopeful the justice secretary will see sense and put a stop to his crazy plans,” said Dave Adams, chair of the Warwickshire Branch of NAPO.
“We can not sit back and watch a high performing, highly valued local probation trust be dismantled and sold off to the highest bidder for the sake of political dogma.”
The 24-hour strike began at midday on Tuesday and further strikes are planned amid fears the changes will lead to job losses if the service is sold to a private firm with Serco and G4S expected to bid.
Lecturers, catering and portering staff, cleaners, technicians and administrative staff at Warwick and Coventry universities who are members of unions Unison, Unite and UCU also walked out last Thursday in what was described as an historic coalition amid their claims of an unrealistic pay offer.
It was their first ever coordinated strike action in a row over pay, according to Unison’s regional secretary Ravi Subramanian who branded the one per cent pay out as miserly and said members had faced a real-terms pay cut of 13 per cent since 2008.
University and College Union spokesman Joe Rooney added: “Staff love their jobs, but their goodwill cannot continue to be taken for granted.”
But postmen have called off their planned strike on Monday.
Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) are understood to be nearing an agreement which will include an improved pay offer made.
Two have set a deadline of November 13 to resolve the ongoing row over pay, pensions and working conditions.
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