NI prison officers strike averted
A threatened strike by Northern Ireland prison officers has been averted after talks with the government.
They followed a dispute over sick leave and disciplinary action after the death of a prisoner on suicide watch.
Prisons Minister Paul Goggins confirmed he had brokered a deal on compromise proposals with Finlay Spratt, from the Prison Officers Association (POA).
He said agreement had been reached on a number of issues and officers would return to work as normal on Thursday.
Officers were angry over disciplinary action taken by the Northern Ireland Prison Service in the wake of the death of Colin Bell at Maghaberry jail last August.
Bell, 34, hanged himself last August while some staff were sleeping or watching television.
The POA 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.
Last month, POA members voted 71% in favour of industrial action up to and including strikes.
