Jail strikes talk ‘constructive’
The chairman of the Prison Officers Association has said he had a “constructive” meeting with Prisons Minister Paul Goggins.
The talks were aimed at averting possible strike action at Northern Ireland jails.
It follows a dispute over sick leave and disciplinary action after the death of a prisoner on suicide watch.
Finlay Spratt said he would be taking Mr Goggins proposals back to the area committee.
“I would be pretty confident that we may have a resolution to the problem,” he said.
Colin Bell hanged himself in Maghaberry jail last August while some staff were sleeping or watching television.
The Prison Officers’ Association said subsequent disciplinary action had been extended to other officers.
They feared that, under new procedures, civil servants may now be able to decide when a prison officer is well enough to return to work.
Last week, Maghaberry prison was labelled one of the most expensive in the United Kingdom and also one of the worst by a team of inspectors.
The report by Criminal Justice Inspection NI and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons said Maghaberry was one of three jails out of 169 inspected which was particularly poor in the area of safety.
It said the jail failed to meet standards in all four of the internationally recognised tests for prisoner welfare.
This was the third damning report on Maghaberry this year.
