Probation officers vote to refuse overtime as early release pressure grows

Probation officers in England and Wales have voted to take industrial action over pay and workloads, a move the Guardian described as a blow to the government's plan to release thousands of prisoners early. Members of the Napo union backed action short of a strike, which the Guardian reported is likely to begin on 23 November, and voted in favour of full strikes as well.

According to the BBC, the vote rejects a 5% pay rise and centres on the strain that the early release scheme has placed on staff who must supervise freed prisoners in the community. No strike dates have been set, and preparations are under way to schedule them later.

The key figures from the ballots

5%: the pay offer from ministers, which Napo calls “inadequate”. The union had sought 12%.
85% and 74%: in the pay ballot, the share of voting members who backed action short of a strike and the share who backed a full strike.
87% and 75%: in the workloads ballot, the share backing action short of a strike and the share backing strikes.
About 2,500: offenders due to be released under the scheme by the end of the year, according to the Guardian.
1,300: additional trainee probation officers the Ministry of Justice is recruiting for the 2026-27 financial year.
25-30%: how far below target staffing the number of probation officers has consistently been, according to the Institute for Government.

What Napo members voted for

Napo represents staff who work in probation offices and in family courts. The Independent reported that members backed industrial action alongside full walkouts. The BBC said members voted to refuse overtime from 23 November and that strike action could follow if the union judges it necessary. The Guardian likewise reported that overtime restrictions and other action short of a strike are likely to start on 23 November, with strikes to follow at a later stage.

The union says the turnout was high. Ian Lawrence, Napo's general secretary, said the result vindicated the campaign for a pay rise that would close the gap with other staff employed within HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). He added that the vote reflects serious anger over workloads that were, in his words, “already in crisis” before the latest early release scheme.

Pay: the dispute behind the vote

Napo says probation salaries have failed to grow since 2010. According to the union, reception staff earn a salary only just above the minimum wage, the lowest in the civil service. The Independent reported that the union put the pay offer at 5% and described it as falling short of what members need to make up lost ground against colleagues elsewhere in HMPPS.

The Ministry of Justice sees it differently. A spokesperson told reporters that the government has put a strong offer on the table, giving every worker a further 5% pay rise. The spokesperson said this follows the biggest probation pay increase in over a decade, alongside record investment, and described the deal as competitive.

Workloads and the early release scheme

Napo says workloads were already in a chronic state, with members working thousands of hours of unpaid overtime just to keep pace with demand. Lawrence said members have tried desperately to deliver what both the previous Conservative government and the current Labour government have asked of them, but have done so with too few staff and too little community support for rehabilitation as an alternative to reoffending.

The BBC reported that probation unions have warned that officers have too many cases and that the rate of staff leaving the profession has increased. The union says the service has come under renewed pressure in recent months because of the early release scheme, which the government introduced because prisons were dangerously close to capacity.

The Guardian explained what probation officers are responsible for: monitoring offenders' behaviour, overseeing their rehabilitation, monitoring electronic tags and recalling people to prison for any offences or licence breaches, such as entering an exclusion or restriction zone that protects victims. It reported that about 2,500 offenders, including sex offenders, domestic abusers and stalkers, will be released under the scheme by the end of the year.

How the releases are being staged

The BBC set out the schedule. On 1 October, 700 eligible offenders originally sentenced to up to 19 months were released. Two further groups of 650 prisoners followed on 13 October and 10 November. Another nine groups are expected to leave prison over the next seven months, with inmates who received longer sentences included in the later cohorts. About 250 prisoners serving more than 12 years are expected to be released on 9 June.

Most of those eligible for early release now need to be tagged, according to the BBC. The government has said that electronic tags and probation intervention will help manage prisoners freed early. However, the BBC noted that a September report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation found that almost half of the electronic tags used to track offenders' movements were not fitted on time.

Recruitment and the staffing gap

The Guardian reported that the Ministry of Justice is recruiting an additional 1,300 trainee probation officers for 2026-27 as part of a £700 million investment package that runs through 2028-29. The ministry says the recruitment will significantly cut workloads.

The Institute for Government, a thinktank, said slow progress on recruitment means probation practitioners are still overstretched and ill-equipped to absorb extra demand. It said probation has had a serious staff shortage for several years, with officer numbers consistently 25-30% below target. As of March 2026, nine probation delivery units, 8% of the total, had a vacancy rate of 40% or more.

What the government says it will do

The Ministry of Justice said it was disappointed that some staff had voted against what it called a competitive deal. It said this would not change its first responsibility of protecting the public, adding that robust contingency plans are in place so that offenders remain subject to the same rigorous supervision if industrial action goes ahead.

What this means for the public

The practical question is how closely freed prisoners are supervised while staff are in dispute. Probation officers monitor behaviour and tags and decide when to recall people to prison, so any change in how much work they are willing to do could affect that oversight. The government says contingency plans will keep supervision at the same standard, while the union says the system was already stretched before the latest releases began.

For the wider public, the dispute matters because of who is being released. The Guardian noted that those leaving prison early by the end of the year include sex offenders, domestic abusers and stalkers, and that officers are responsible for recalling anyone who enters a zone designed to protect victims. Whether the extra recruits arrive quickly enough to ease that pressure is an open question: the Institute for Government says progress has been slow.

What happens next

The refusal of overtime is expected to begin on 23 November. Napo is preparing to set strike dates at a later point, and the BBC said it could call strikes if it deems them necessary. More groups of prisoners are due to be released over the coming months, with the next large group of long-serving prisoners expected on 9 June.

Frequently asked questions

When will the probation action start?

The Guardian and the BBC both reported that action short of a strike, including refusing overtime, is expected from 23 November. No strike dates have been set.

Why are probation officers taking action?

Napo members rejected a 5% pay offer, which the union calls inadequate, and say workloads were already in crisis before the early release scheme added to the pressure.

How did members vote?

On pay, 85% backed action short of a strike and 74% backed a full strike. On workloads, 87% backed action short of a strike and 75% backed strikes.

What does the government say?

The Ministry of Justice says its 5% offer is strong and competitive, that it is recruiting 1,300 more officers, and that contingency plans will keep supervision of offenders at the same standard.

Around Prague, based on reporting by The Independent, The Guardian, BBC News

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