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16/01/2004
Prison Officers agree proposals to end dispute
In a joint statement today, the NIO and the Prison Officers Association (POA) announced that they have reached agreement on proposals to resolve a dispute in the Northern Ireland Prison Service.
The dispute had threatened to spread to become a national UK strike. However, it is understood that following talks between the two sides this week that further funding will be made available to help secure the homes of those officers whose details are known to be in the hands of the IRA.
The statement said: "The POA negotiating team will be recommending these proposals to the union's Executive Committee and Northern Ireland Committee.
"Subject to confirmation of the POA's acceptance of the proposals: all current legal action against the POA will be terminated; the POA will immediately restore goodwill in all working arrangements throughout the NI Prison Service."
It was further agreed that joint talks would begin urgently on the implementation of the recommendations of the Steele Report, including negotiations on all related staffing issues, with a view to concluding those talks within four weeks.
Also agreed was that, with support from the Labour Relations Agency, joint negotiations will begin on new industrial relations procedures for the Prison Service in Northern Ireland.
The Chairman of the Policing Board Professor Desmond Rea has welcomed the announcement that proposals to resolve the current dispute in the Northern Ireland Prison Service have been successful.
He said: "As a result of the dispute, the PSNI have been called in on a number of occasions to run the prisons and the Board was extremely concerned about the diversion of police resources. I am pleased that work to resolve this issue has been successful."
Police officers had to drafted in to the jails recently when prison officers took strike action when officers in Maghaberry jail were attacked and officers' homes were targeted amid a background of concerns over personal security provisions.
(SP)
The dispute had threatened to spread to become a national UK strike. However, it is understood that following talks between the two sides this week that further funding will be made available to help secure the homes of those officers whose details are known to be in the hands of the IRA.
The statement said: "The POA negotiating team will be recommending these proposals to the union's Executive Committee and Northern Ireland Committee.
"Subject to confirmation of the POA's acceptance of the proposals: all current legal action against the POA will be terminated; the POA will immediately restore goodwill in all working arrangements throughout the NI Prison Service."
It was further agreed that joint talks would begin urgently on the implementation of the recommendations of the Steele Report, including negotiations on all related staffing issues, with a view to concluding those talks within four weeks.
Also agreed was that, with support from the Labour Relations Agency, joint negotiations will begin on new industrial relations procedures for the Prison Service in Northern Ireland.
The Chairman of the Policing Board Professor Desmond Rea has welcomed the announcement that proposals to resolve the current dispute in the Northern Ireland Prison Service have been successful.
He said: "As a result of the dispute, the PSNI have been called in on a number of occasions to run the prisons and the Board was extremely concerned about the diversion of police resources. I am pleased that work to resolve this issue has been successful."
Police officers had to drafted in to the jails recently when prison officers took strike action when officers in Maghaberry jail were attacked and officers' homes were targeted amid a background of concerns over personal security provisions.
(SP)
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