Prison education members need our support
UCU Novus members working in prison education have been on strike Tuesday 11 May, and Wednesday 12 May in a dispute over health and safety. This covers 49 prisons and young offenders’ institutions and is the first time a prison education branch has taken industrial action.
The row centres on the employer Novus’s failure to meaningfully engage with UCU over Covid health and safety concerns and on-site provision. Also, Novus has refused to drop complaints and investigations against staff who have raised safety concerns – unfounded allegations and without reference to any formal procedures and against natural justice. As these staff are UCU’s health and safety representatives, UCU believes it is impossible for the employer to meaningfully engage in health and safety discussions until this intimidation stops.
Please support your colleagues. If ever there was a time to stand up and support your union colleagues, now is the time. Due to members’ fear of reprisals, there will be limited social media use. However you can fill this gap by taking the following actions:
- please Tweet messages of support and share Tweets using #prisonedstrike
- follow the branch on Twitter @ucuprisoned
- send messages of support – including photos holding self-made placards – to the UCU Novus prison education branch
- write to your MP asking them to sign an Early Day Motion
Your support will give the branch a real boost – please send your messages today. You can find out more about the background to the dispute here.