The POA

19/08/2025

The POA @ Durham Miners’ Gala & The Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival July 2025

19/08/2025

Phil Fairlie, Assistant General Secretary for POA Scotland on the difficulties of organised crime gangs currently in Scotland’s prisons

18/08/2025

They say our public sector youth prisons are failing yet their theoretical fantasy is a bigger disaster

13/08/2025

TUC Health and Safety Rep Survey 2025

Every two years the TUC survey Union Health & Safety reps to help them understand reps’ experiences, the risks of work and what reps want them to focus on in their campaigning and education courses.

The more union Health & Safety reps that complete the survey, the more useful the findings are for everyone.

https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90855398/TUCSafetyReps2025

Thank you for your anticipated support.

TUC Health & Safety Reps Survey 2025.

07/08/2025

Listen now to episode 65 of the POA Podcast - Labour In government 1 year on

National Chair Mark Fairhurst reviews Labour's first year in office. What progress has been made on key POA concerns and what is left to be done? Spoiler alert - the dial has been turned in a positive direction, but there is still a long way to go. More information at ⁠poauk.org.uk

07/08/2025

The Times: Ignoring prison crisis won’t make it go away

https://www.thetimes.com/article/e98133a6-3180-4d0e-bd0d-737a076bf29a?shareToken=7d08dbdc33814444218e0db4b8a8adb4

Report after report keep stating the blindly obvious that our prisons and justice systems are in deep crisis. How many more reports. Ignoring the crisis isn’t going to make it go away. It’s now time for action instead of just regurgitating report after report stating the obvious and political parties pointing the finger at each other. Quite frankly they are all to blame and had they listened to the POA they would not be in this mess.

The Tories failed to create sufficient places but this government needs to solve a familiar problem or it will pay a price

05/08/2025

Mark Fairhurst Chair of the POA Speaks to Radio 4 following the publication of the independent prison capacity review

04/08/2025

National Chair talks about recruitment and retention, the state of our prisons and the dangers staff face

04/08/2025

“THE GOVERNMENT MUST ACT URGENTLY” AS 85 ASSAULTS PER DAY ARE CARRIED OUT ON PRISON STAFF SAYS UNION LEADER
https://www.poauk.org.uk/news-events/news-room/posts/2025/august/pr-288-the-government-must-act-urgently-as-85-assaults-per-day-are-carried-out-on-prison-staff-says-union-leader/
Violence and exposure to traumatic incidents is a daily experience for Prison Officers in England and Wales and the situation is getting worse according to the latest statistics published by the Ministry of Justice.

01/08/2025

Message from POA National Chair Mark Fairhurst

29/07/2025

29/07/2025

Sky News: POA National Chair Mark Fairhurst on tasers being trialled in UK prisons