Probation officers reject 5% pay rise and plan industrial action over early release

Members of the probation service union voted to refuse overtime amid growing workloads caused by the government's prisoner early release scheme, which aims to combat dangerously high prison capacity. The union argues that staff were already facing a crisis and lack the adequate resources and staffing needed to properly monitor freed offenders in the community. In response, the Ministry of Justice stated that it has put forward a strong offer, is recruiting additional officers to lower workloads, and has robust contingency plans to ensure offenders remain under rigorous supervision during any industrial action.