The POA isn’t “just a diary” especially in prisons right now
A lot of staff still say the POA is “just an expensive diary,” but honestly, until you actually need representation, support, or someone willing to challenge management on your behalf, you don’t really see what goes on behind the scenes.
In prisons right now, staff are dealing with assaults, constant staff shortages, mental health crises, violence and pressure to keep regimes running no matter what the staffing looks like.
Most of the stuff reps deal with never gets seen publicly:
Supporting staff in investigations and discipline cases
Sitting in sickness/FARM meetings
Helping after assaults at work
Raising health & safety concerns
Challenging unsafe staffing levels and RMP issues
Supporting witnesses, not just subjects of investigations
Answering the phone to support a member day or night (I’ve personally been on holiday and answered the phone to members to support them!)
Fighting for better working conditions locally
At branch level, a lot of reps are doing this alongside their normal prison job, often unpaid and in their own time.
The POA is also the only recognised trade union for prison staff alongside the Prison Governors’ Association, which means it has a direct voice in discussions around staffing, regimes, safety, profiling, and working conditions within prisons.
Whether people agree with every decision the union makes or not, prisons without staff representation would be a far worse place to work.
You only really notice the value of a union when something goes wrong. And in this job, eventually something usually does.
If you work in a prison and want to look into joining:
POA Join Page