Probation officers in England and Wales have voted to reject a 5% pay rise and take industrial action, blaming the mounting pressure linked to the government’s prisoner early release scheme. Members of Napo, the probation service union, have agreed to refuse overtime from 23 November. The union said strike action could follow if it decides it is necessary. The union warned the probation service was already in “crisis” before the early release scheme started. The programme relies on probation staff supervising people released from prison into the community. A total of 700 eligible offenders sentenced to up to 19 months were released on 1 October. Two further groups of 650 prisoners were released on 13 October and 10 November, with additional cohorts expected over the next seven months. The next releases include people serving longer sentences, with around 250 prisoners serving more than 12 years due to leave prison on 9 June. Napo said staff are carrying too many cases and that the rate of staff leaving the profession has increased. The government said it has put forward a “strong offer” and is recruiting an extra 1,300 officers to cut workloads. The Ministry of Justice also said it has contingency plans to ensure offenders remain under the same rigorous supervision during any industrial action. The government said electronic tagging and probation intervention would help manage people freed early. An inspection report in September found almost half of electronic tags were not fitted on time. The dispute’s latest status is industrial action planning, with overtime refusal set to begin on 23 November and strike action possible if the union decides to escalate.