The POA podcast

If you’ve enjoyed a POA video, listened to one of the POA podcasts, engaged in any way with the union online at X, or Facebook, accessed the POA website or responded to a call to action associated with a POA campaign...

It is now two years since a major change to the regime of health and safety inspections in HMPPS. A key element of the new approach has been the employer and union working in partnership. But what does this mean in...

The annual Valley Parade Memorial football tournamentcommemorates the fire at Bradford City FC in 1985 which cost 56 lives. The POA is at the heart of maintaining thetournament and was instrumental in it’s creation...

Ask The Chair is the opportunity for POA members to put their questions directly to POA National Chair Mark Fairhurst. No question is off limits and the first Mark knows about it is when the question is read out on the...

The issue of Separation Centres was thrown into sharp focusfollowing the horrendous assault on three prison officers at HMP Frankland last year. The government commissioned the Hall report as a result and it’s 13...

The union’s campaign for the right of members in England,Wales and Northern Ireland to be able to take industrial action has received a boost from the influential European Committee of Social Rights. The Committee has...

The Branch Officials' training course is a vital tool in the training and development of the union's representatives. But what does the course cover? What do students get out of it? Is it as good as everyone says it is...

In the new Ask The Chair, Mark Fairhurst answersquestions from members on body scanners and women prisoners, Payment Plus, the recent exemption secured for overseas-born prison officers, the absence ofinterviews in Band...

Engaging younger members in the union and keeping themactive is an essential part of the POA’s strategy, and the Young Members Consultative Committee is a key body for delivering that objective. In this episode, Jordan...

The Women’s networking event is now a firm fixture in the POA calendar, but what goes into making the event so popular and successful? NEC member Jackie Marshall gives us the inside track on last November’s gathering...

National Chair Mark Fairhurst discusses the results of the2025 POA members’ survey, highlighting the mismatch between what respondents are saying to the union, and the picture painted by the MoJ’s own survey work. He...

Ask The Chair gives POA members and reps the chance to ask National Chair Mark Fairhurst……anything! (and he doesn’t see the questions before-hand). In this episode, questions come from Preston to London, and covers...

The Tolpuddle Martyrs festival takes palce each July and isa form fixture in the POA calendar. In this episode we hear about the origins of the festival, why it lies close to the heart of the union, and how the union’s...

The union’s long-running campaign to lower the retirementage for operational grades gets a new boost today (Wednesday). Following the recent members’ survey, to which there was over 3,000 responses, there is now a new...

Drone incursions into airspace above prisons has risen sharply, meaning an increased supply of contraband and an increased level of danger for POA members. In this episode National Chair Mark Fairhurst discusses the...