Prison officers stage walkout at Walton Prison
Just under 100 prison officers working at Walton Prison staged a walkout this morning over concerns over working conditions.
Just under 100 prison officers working at Walton Prison staged a walkout this morning over concerns over working conditions.
Members of the Prison Officers Association walked out between 8am and 9am on Friday morning as part of a national protest by the Union amid safety fears.
Local chair of the POA Terry McCarthy said:
"I've never known so many staff who have been off work with stress or depression related illnesses, it's disheartening really."
"The current working conditions are dire. I've been a prison officer for 25 years and I've never known so many assaults on staff or inmates on inmates and I'm not talking about punches, I'm talking serious assaults."
Ministry of Justice - “The safety and welfare of staff and prisoners is a key priority and we will always ensure prisons have enough staff to run safely and securely.
“Since January last year we have recruited 2,830 prison officers nationally, a net increase of 530 officers. We have also secured £1.3billion to modernise the prison estate and are investing over £10m to respond to safety issues.
“We have well-established contingency arrangements in place to respond to any potential action and maintain stable regimes and will continue to work closely with the unions to address any concerns they have.”