- A Prison Officer (including Temporary Officers, Prison Auxiliaries, O.S.G.'s and Night Patrols).
- A Nursing Grade in penal and secure establishments:
- A non-industrial Stores Grade in the Prison Service:
- Any member of the staff of the Special Hospitals:
- Individuals in such other categories of employment as may from time to time be approved by Conference.
- A Prison Custody Officer - Private Sector.
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| From: prisonsorguk |
To:
falkor |
Posted: 16 Aug 2007 03:41 pm |
Subject: Re: POA |
The POA has changed markedly over the years, this once self-destructive union has realised the error of its ways and has moderated its opinions and has surrendered many of its restrictive working practices; making prison officers realise that they are there to run the jail, not to manage it, was a long battle that was only won in the last five years.
From the disaster of the Fresh Start agreement in 1987 - when the POA foolishly agreed to ditch overtime in favour of a staged reduction to a 39 hour working week - and the debacle of TOIL which followed it - the POA has realised that it gains far more working with management than trying to fight them; the POA has suffered over many years from a lack of industrial 'nouse' and it caused the union to lose almost every battle it ever fought with prison management.
The only reason for joining the POA in my view is to secure the legal services that membership brings with it in cases of allegations or assaults; but there are insurance and legal companies now who offer these benefits.
However I have always had a real problem with the integrity of the POA leadership - how many unions I wonder allow the employer to pay the wages of the unions key officials? The Home Office pays the wages of over a dozen senior POA officials and this to me smacks of a pay-off.
The POA union officials should be paid for by POA members, not be subsidised by the tax-payer and bought off by management.
The effectiveness of the POA in terms of achieving pay and grading improvements has been limited, the payment of key official salaries by the employer is a nonsense, its inability to take any strike or industrial action - as per JIRPA - really renders the POA impotent as a trade union and all of these things taken together mean that the POA is today more of a staff association than a trade union; and that to me is the way it should be in a prison.
| From: lapmonkey9 |
To:
falkor |
Posted: 30 Jul 2007 11:06 pm |
Subject: POA |
- Is it worth being in the Prison Officers Association?
Yes it is, I must say it has to be the best union to be in and I recommend it to anyone who is in the prison service to join up.
You get a 110% backing from the establishments union representitive's. They fight your corner when you need it. They are always there for you and trust me you will need them at least once in your prison service career.
- how much does it cost?
Well the price is at a reasonable £12.50p Per Month. And with this you get a POA badge, Discounts to shops ect and a POA diary. Not bad for £12.50.
- have you seen fellow prison officers benefit from such membership?
Yes I have, Recently a member of staff was suspended for taking a set of keys home. Without being in the union the member of staff would have most probably got the sack! And this is a very common case to happen.
- would you recommend other Prison Officers to join the POA?
Yes I would recommend it to anyone who is a member of the prison service. Its well worth it.
- which benefits listed by POA are really worth having?
The best choice for myself would be Full Legal Assistance and Representation. I really hope who ever is not in the POA to become a member or have a chat with your establishments POA union rep.
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From:
Eggman |
To:
falkor |
Posted:
20 Aug 2007 02:18 pm |
Subject:
new page on main site |
Sadly, my experience thus far of the Prison Officer's Association is far from positive.
In my comparatively short service, I have unfortunately needed to call upon the union for advice and support on four or five occasions. Each time I have met with nothing but resistance, inefficiency and lack of interest. At one point, my job was being threatened and I asked for POA representation, but it was refused. My prison establishment has dragged me over hot coals and the POA simply would not get involved.
Of course, it is wrong to judge the whole union on the my experiences alone. But a union that is scared to get involved is worthless to me.
If your union representatives are not pulling their weight, get rid of them!
Prison Service rejects POA claims
Friday, 25 Apr 2008 11:55
A spokesperson for the Prison Service has insisted inmates in Britain's jails do not enjoy a "cushy" lifestyle.
The comment follows claims from the Prison Officer Association (POA) that prisoners were enjoying their lifestyle so much they were not attempting to escape, even when given the opportunity to do so.
The Prison Service spokesperson described the suggestion that prison is "cushy" as "ludicrous".
But she added that neither did prisons run "harsh regimes" as such a strategy would not help efforts to drive down re-offending rates.
"The comments by POA undermine the excellent work done by prison officers — their own members," she said.
"The POA's description of prisons is out of touch with reality."
The Prison Service insisted its fundamental stability in the last ten years was a strong record reflecting the hard work of its staff.
And it rejected claims by Mr Travis that some areas of prisons are no-go for staff as "simply not true".
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