The Ulster Unionist Party’s Justice Spokesperson, Doug Beattie MC MLA, has called for action to prevent industrial action by local prison officers.
Doug Beattie MC MLA said:
“It is clear that feelings are running high in the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) regarding their latest pay settlement or lack of it. We are now on the verge of industrial action by the Prison Officers Association (POA) unless urgent steps are taken to address historical wrongs. Nobody wants to see officers heading to the gates of our prisons in protest and the withdrawal of labour. Such actions would have a detrimental effect on our prisons, our prison staff, the prisoners within the walls and the prison modernisation programme.
“It is my understanding that the Justice Minister met with representatives of HMP Maghaberry POA yesterday and it was made clear that while the membership believe the Justice Minister is genuine when she says she has tried to secure the best pay settlement possible and is personally supportive of the prison staff, she is not being told the whole truth by the Prison Service Management Board. The facts remain that a 1% pay rise consolidated, in line with public sector pay cap, would be acceptable to the prison service if they were also to receive an increase in the risk allowance for Custody Prison Officers (CPO) to bring them in line with the PSNI.
“The parity in risk allowance is a fair request given the continual targeting of prison officers by dissident republicans and the murder of two of their members in recent years. This risk payment - which would equate to just over £3,100 a year or £250 a month - is meant for use in security related issues such as extra fuel cost for varying their routes and times to and from work, plus the extra electricity costs for running the security lights and cameras most, if not all, prison officers have fitted to their properties.
“This risk allowance has been awarded to the PSNI and the prison service feel they are no less at risk than their police counterparts. I tend to agree.
“I have spoken to the Justice Minister on a number of occasions and I too believe she is genuine and proactive in her approach to this issue.
“I also believe she may well have been abandoned by her Executive colleagues in this instance and that the present Acting Director General is being somewhat disingenuous when he says the NIPS have been offered a 2.5% pay rise. This is only the case if the Risk Allowance is included in the basic salary calculations, but of course it is not salary, it is a separate allowance.
“I am therefore asking the Minister for Finance to look closely at these risk allowances, to ensure they are decoupled from pay in the same way an MLA’s travel allowance is decoupled from their pay, and to take urgent steps to make the funds available to CPO grade staff before industrial action takes place.”