POA
15
MENTIONS
6
EPISODES
5
PODCASTS
Search complete. 15 mentions across 6 episodes found for "POA".
Sep 9, 2026
Pat McCannGUEST
But we're, um, we are the most unruly prisoners, James, mate.
Pat McCannGUEST
Mancunians, the, the POA openly say that, that the Mancu- Mancunians are the most unruly prisoners in the prison system.
Pat McCannGUEST
Um, us and the Scousers, 'cause of the Strangeways riots, they've not forgot that.
Pat McCannGUEST
It was a month, took the full prison for, um, or 25 days.
Pat McCannGUEST
So the cons for 25 days had the full run of the prison, and that's something that the POA and, uh, they don't forget lightly.
Pat McCannGUEST
So wherever the Mancs are around the prison system...
Pat McCannGUEST
Because this is another thing.
SimonHOST
Welcome to the podcast of the Prison Officers Association, Britain's largest professional trade union for staff working in prisons and correctional centres, public and private mental health service trust providers and immigration services, with nearly 35,000 members.
SimonHOST
The annual TUC Congress and Labour Party Conference are two opportunities for the union to push the long-running campaign for the restoration of prison officers' rights to take industrial action across the whole of the UK.
SimonHOST
In this episode, Deputy General Secretary Mick Pimlett tells us how the union intends to make the most of these opportunities.
Sam CoatesHOST
of the changes to the early release scheme that the Prime Minister announced on Sunday, and how the government reckons it can stop the prisons overflowing.
Sam CoatesHOST
And also just a bit of new detail that we got overnight about plans to find and convert existing prison spaces into new accommodation for prisoners, although Prison Officers Association going, where's the staff to do that? Perhaps prison laundries could be turned into cells, we are told.
Anne McElvoyHOST
The PM and his team seeing this start to the term as a particularly big deal, a playbook telling us the Chancellor, John Healey, has even flown back early from the G20 meeting across the Atlantic to attend.
Anne McElvoyHOST
Maybe he just wants to keep an eye on the spending commitments that the PM might make.
Steve GillenGUEST
And yes, we did have an interesting dialogue last week and it was great to meet you.
Zack PolanskiHOST
So beginning, at the very beginning, you are the General Secretary of the POA.
Zack PolanskiHOST
Could you explain to our viewers what the POA is?
Steve GillenGUEST
Yeah, of course.
Steve GillenGUEST
We are a trade union that's 33,000 strong membership with 4,000 retired members as well.
SimonHOST
Welcome to the podcast of the Prison Officers Association, Britain's largest professional trade union for staff working in prisons and correctional centres, public and private mental health service trust providers and immigration services, with nearly 35,000 members.
SimonHOST
Hopefully everyone listening to this podcast will be well aware of the fact that POA General Secretary Steve Gillen is this year's TUC President.
SimonHOST
But what does the president actually do? And how do you get to be TUC president to start with? That was the starting point for my discussion with Steve as we sat down to review his presidential year.
Steve GillenGUEST
Well, I'll start with saying how you get chosen for it.
Steve GillenGUEST
And of course, you then have the meetings with senior politicians on behalf of the TUC as well, along with the General Secretary, and indeed some individuals from the TUC executive.
Steve GillenGUEST
And of course, then there's the international work as well and i was very privileged this year although the election didn't go the way we wanted it to be an international observer in the columbian election recently So it's a wide varying role.
Steve GillenGUEST
And it's one that I'm very proud of, actually, being the first general secretary of the POA to become TUC president.
SimonHOST
I know it is.
Gavin GrayCORRESPONDENT
Well, the minister in charge suspected the number of extra prison spaces created from freeing up existing space at somewhere around 900.
Gavin GrayCORRESPONDENT
However, the Prison Officers Association has hit back, saying, you can create as much additional space as you like and build as many new prisons as you like, but nobody wants to be a prison officer anymore.
Gavin GrayCORRESPONDENT
Well, the government also announced it has signed a contract to start building a new jail in Lancashire in northwest England for 1,700 inmates, but it'll take years to complete.
Gavin GrayCORRESPONDENT
Now, as if things weren't tough enough for the new UK Prime Minister, long-term government borrowing costs have risen to a 28-year high.