Prison officers must be protected

Issued : Monday 9 March, 2015

The manner in which the country's prison officers are being treated by elements within the Irish Prison Services (IPS) management is at the heart of the on-going Prison Officers Association (POA) ballot for industrial action.

Many prison officers believe that the latest efforts by the IPS to sideline their union and to unilaterally change long established work practices and conditions is an attempt to further undermine the POA.

I condemn these tactics by elements within the IPS and their management style which undermines the prison officers and their representatives.
This has been along standing issue for prison officers and they are resolute and determined that they will no longer tolerate their union being side-lined.

I am calling on the Minister for Justice, France Fitzgerald, who I have always found to be a reasonable and judicious person to intervene, so as to head off wholesale and disruptive industrial action by 3,200 prison officers, throughout the country's 14 prisons. This is an unsatisfactory scenario and must be defused by the Minister. (Ballot for strike action is set for tomorrow (Wednesday 11^th March)

Many prison officers believe that the IPS tactics are being used in an attempt to marginalise the POA which is itself merely a prelude to the objective of privatising the prison service and to replace prison officers with private security firms.

Prisons are a complex, challenging and highly charged workplace environments. Prison staff, like so many other public sector and frontline workers, have already embraced sweeping reforms, rationalisation, pay cuts, additional taxes and verifiable savings under the Croke Park and Haddington Road agreements to the tune of €21m and €11.5m respectively. We have seen as recently as this weekend, the danger that Prison Officers are exposed to.

Now, it appears the management are looking to squeeze more and more, without due regard to prison officers’ welfare, morale and safety. This is being done with the aim to undermine the POA by attempting to bypass the established industrial relations, negotiations and consultation mechanisms.  

This is the last straw for many long serving staff that commenced ballot for industrial action on February 18th; one which I expect will overwhelmingly confirm a POA mandate for action once it concludes on March 11th.

Without Ministerial intervention to restore confidence in the consultation process and respect for the status of the POA in the normal negotiation process, there will inevitably be industrial action and unnecessary uncertainty throughout our prison system.

As someone who recognises and respects the risks and work put in seven days a week by Prison Officers, Gardaí, Firemen, Soldiers and Medical Personal, I will not stand idly by and remain silent on the outrageous treatment of those who are serving their community and are being treated more like inmates.