Founded 1980
Chair:        
Secretary: 
Treasurer: 

Graham Smith
Jan Thompson
Graham Mumby-Croft


Issue No. 17 Spring 1988
Welcome to our new look newsletter.

Following the setting up of the Prison Governors Association to represent the interests of the senior staff in prisons, the Newsletter has been funded by the PGA to produce the first fully printed edition using the Warrington printers who produce the PGA's own Newsletter.

Mailing List; We now have over 200 on our mailing list and the number of new members is likely to rise quickly with many more senior staff due to retire in 1988.

We welcome John Morrison who retired early as a G4 from Wormwood Scrubs to become a priest; Bill Keast (G3 Haslar); Colin Heald (G1 Midland Region); Bernard Marchant (G1 Pentonville); Les Davies (G3 Haslar - retired about eight years; Harry Fleischmann (G4 at HQ); John Richardson (G1 Liverpool); Arthur Ravenhill (G4 Gartree); and John Hughes (G5 Bedford).

Can we remind our older readers that following grade amalgamation, the new Governor 5 Grade covers the former Assistant Governor and Chief Officer II grades; the new Governor Grade 4 covers the former Governor 4 (Assistant Governor Class 1) and the Chief Officer Class One Grades.

The Newsletter aims to serve all who have served in the Grades of Governor 5 and above.

Honours: We are particularly pleased to record that our long serving Treasurer Bill Martin received the O.B.E.

Information Required: Can anyone help with the address of Alan Roberton? His last Newsletter was returned from his Devon address.

Information to the Editor please.

Deaths of Retired Governors: I regret to report the deaths of George Bride, Mrs Mary Coombes (widow of Michael Coombes) Mrs Marjorie Bantock (widow of J.R. Grenville Bantock) and Colin Lennon.

May they rest in peace.

Senior Officers Representational Board: I am grateful to David Waddilove for the following information about the SORB and the decision to join the SCS.

"The reason tor the Prison Governors joining the Society of Civil Servants in 1948 was dissatisfaction with the continuing failure of the SORB in obtaining better pay and working conditions for their members.

The Governors decided that this was due to the fact that to get any success in their dealings with Home Office and Treasury Officials, proper professional negotiators were required.

Under the SORB, the Governors who had to meet the official side were quite inexperienced in this sort of work and were also handicapped by having to argue with their own bosses.

When we joined the Society of Civil Servants, our branch was immediately allocated the highly trained and excellent Sheila Roberts who fought our battles most effectively.

We never regretted putting ourselves into the hands of the Society.

I do not know the reason why the Governors have now returned to the pattern of earlier times, but I can only hope that the new Prison Governors Association will be more successful than the old SORB in their negotiations with the official side.

"Trade Union Developments: Our readers will be interested to know that the Prison Governors Association the new independent Union for both Chief Officer Class continues to make great progress.

Over 70% of the potential membership have joined the new organisation.

The PGA was recognised by the Home Office for consultation and negotiation in March 1988.

This followed an important campaign organised by the PGA including Parliamentary Questions and other necessary pressures.

The PGA has now begun the task of representing the interests of senior staff with the Home Office as well developing policy on professional issues.

Future of the Retired Governers Newsletter: In order to put the Newsletter onto a secure future footing, the Newsletter Production Team are recommending to our readers that retired members become Associate Members of the PGA.

The PGA has constitutional provision for such a development.

We have in mind an annual subscription in the rangeof £2 - £5, sufficient to produce a quality newsletter two or three times a year.

We also believe that we may be able to develop occasional social activities, perhaps linked with the growing area groups of the PGA.

With over 200 subscribers and the possibility this will grow substantially over the next year or two, it would be difficult to continue without clearer financial arrangements.

We are asking for reaction to this idea only at this stage - let us know your views.

If the general reaction is favourable, we will circulate arrangements for collecting subscriptions with the next newsletter.

We would, of course, aim to interpret the term "retired Governor" very widely: our existing mailing list covers retired Director Generals and Chaplain Generals as well as the spouses of former senior staff.





Brendan O'Friel