Probation staff stage walk-out

The strike means some offenders lack supervision

Probation staff in England and Wales are holding a one-day strike over rising workloads.

It is thought that about 10% of staff have joined the walkout - the rest have agreed a deal about working practices with management.

The National Association of Probation Officers (Napo) said the threat of industrial action had forced management into "real negotiations" on workloads.

Members of the union voted overwhelmingly for strike action earlier this month and it will be followed by a work to rule in areas where the dispute is continuing.

Napo said the average number of offenders supervised by each probation officer has risen from 21 to 42 over the last decade, coupled with a sharp rise in the number of court reports.

Demonstrations

Only eight of the 42 probation areas in England and Wales are still to agree a formula to prioritise their workload.

Areas on strike

Hertfordshire

Cumbria

Staffordshire

North Wales

South Wales

Surrey

Teesside

Thames Valley

In the regions where an agreement has been reached probation officers can now reduce duties such as the number of court reports written and the number of offenders supervised when necessary.

Harry Fletcher, assistant general secretary of Napo, told BBC News: "The impact (of the strike) will not be that great, but in those areas where members are striking, courts will not receive reports.

"And for that day, defendants will not be supervised and there will be demonstrations around lunchtime in most towns that are affected."

'Keep talking'

Director of the National Probation Service, Eithne Wallis, said negotiations had brought deals in most areas.

Fletcher said some managers were not sympathetic

She added: "The 'keep talking' approach has worked in 32 (now 34) out of the 42 areas, including the largest, meaning that most staff are in areas not involved in this action.

"I was therefore disappointed that Napo did not seek a deferment as they could have done to allow time for solutions to be found in the remaining areas, as must surely happen anyway."

She added that probation funding had increased by more than 50% since 1998 and that there had been an increase in staffing from 14,660 to 17,900.